'This will become a political albatross': Trump's big gamble on DC could backfire

As federal officers continue to swarm the streets of Washington, D.C. under President Donald Trump’s takeover over the nation’s Capitol, the commander in chief now faces a “30-day clock” that could end as either a political win, or a “political albatross” and liability, argued The Washington Post’s editorial board Friday evening.

Launched on Tuesday, Trump’s D.C. takeover saw well over 1,500 federal officers descend on the city’s streets alongside dozens of National Guard troops in an effort to tighten law enforcement, a move that sees Trump “benefit from the perception that he’s fighting a broken local government and activist judges as he tries to crack down on crime,” the editorial board wrote.

Trump’s authority to control the nation’s capitol, however, is limited to 30 days, and would require majority Senate approval to extend, an unlikely outcome considering the GOP’s slim majority in Congress’ upper chamber. Should crime not be adequately addressed within that short window, the editorial board wrote, the entire ploy could end up backfiring.

“Politically, Trump’s opening gambit has paid off, and he should be on defensible legal ground at least for three more weeks, even though this question has never been litigated,” the editorial board wrote.

“But if he cannot show results – and instead pivots to another stunt – this will become a political albatross. More important, D.C. residents will be as vulnerable as ever to crime.”

And if current trends were to continue, it appears likely Trump’s D.C. takeover may end up being a bust.

The first two nights of the Capitol takeover saw just 66 arrests made, and 45 arrests made the following day on Wednesday, numbers, considering the multi-million dollar cost of the operation, that appear unlikely to have any substantive impact on D.C.’s crime rate.

“In fact, 1,450 officers participated in Tuesday night’s operation to arrest 43 people; this comes to 34 officers per alleged offender,” wrote Washington Post columnist Kathleen Parker earlier this week. “It took a military occupation to pull this off?”

Local officials have challenged Trump on his D.C. takeover, D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb had filed a lawsuit challenging the president’s authority to take over the local police department, and the case was assigned to a judge known for sparring with the Trump administration. And, as The Washington Post editorial board wrote, the political battle could fare well for Trump, it hinges entirely on whether crime in D.C. is meaningfully addressed.

“Trump will probably prevail on the merits of being able to declare an emergency if the case goes to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit or the Supreme Court,” the editorial board wrote.

“The law provides leeway to decide what services he wants from the police, and there is a clear federal interest in keeping the nation’s capital safe. But it becomes a more difficult legal question on Sept. 10.”