Washington, D.C. officials and residents are concerned about what the future holds under Donald Trump for the area that doesn't have the full rights that 50 states enjoy.
"Forget statehood. District of Columbia officials are just hoping to protect what little self-government they already have in Trump's second term," NBC News warned on Wednesday.
Trump and his team have promised to target blue cities and even lodged threats to jail elected officials.
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The district is well-known for its left-leanings. In 2020, D.C. voted for Joe Biden by 92.15%. Trump didn't even make it over 20,000 votes. That increased in 2024 when Vice President Kamala Harris earned 92.5% of the vote.
NBC said residents "protested him and his officials almost constantly during his first presidency." As the nation's capital, individuals come from around the country to protest at the White House, U.S. Capitol, Supreme Court, embassies that pepper the city and even international organizations like the International Monetary Fund or World Bank.
Now, as Trump stands to take office again, "District of Columbia officials fear losing their tenuous grip on the limited self-governance they have painstakingly achieved over decades," reported NBC. Trump promised to "take over" Washington, calling it a “filthy and crime-ridden embarrassment to our nation.”
“A second Trump presidency presents risks for D.C., which lacks the protections of statehood and full home rule,” Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, the district’s longtime representative in Congress, told NBC News. “I will continue to defend D.C. home rule from any attacks that may come our way.”
Norton is a federal official but has limited power since D.C. is not a state. She can propose bills, vote in committees and debate on the House floor, but she can't vote on bills considered by the full House.
“We have been discussing and planning for many months in the case that the district has to defend itself and its values,” D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser told reporters at a press conference after Trump was declared the winner.
She promised that they were ready to "work together with the Trump administration."
When Trump said he wanted to “take over” the city, he promised, “I wouldn’t even call the mayor."