“We have tremendous power at the White House to run places when we have to — we could run D.C.,” Trump told reporters Tuesday.
“We would run it so good. It would be run so proper, we’d get the best person to run it. The crime would be down to a minimal, would be much less. We're thinking about doing it, to be honest with you.”
Just down Pennsylvania Ave., at the Capitol, some Republicans are cheering the president on.
“If we can’t take care of our nation’s capital, what do we expect out of these other cities? It's awful. Look at the streets, littered,” Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) told Raw Story. “That'd be pretty easy. I'd love to own that. Let me do it.”
Others in the GOP are praying the president’s joking about seizing power from local elected leaders and that allies like Tuberville never get near the reins of power in the capital.
“I don’t think that's a good idea,” Sen. Shelly Moore Capito (R-WV) told Raw Story. “We seem to have a good system right now that's worked pretty well.”
Broken or not, Trump is set on fixing it, and he has allies on Capitol Hill.
‘Adult supervision’
All year long, Republicans have been testing the D.C. system — one that’s held for decades — and hardliners aren’t done yet.
“So would you be supportive of doing something?” Raw Story pressed Tuberville.
“Yeah. Doing something where we might have a little say so about cleaning up the capital city of the United States of America, because right now it's — just walk around, it's just a pigsty,” Tuberville said.
Elected leaders in the capital decry the idea of a Trumpian nanny state, but Mayor Muriel Bowser and city council members have grown to expect interference when Republicans run Capitol Hill.
U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) speaks to reporters. REUTERS/Tierney L. Cross
In February, Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) and Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) introduced their Bringing Oversight to Washington and Safety to Every Resident (BOWSER) Act. It would repeal the 1973 D.C. Home Rule Act, which gave elected local leaders power over local affairs, even if the Constitution gives Congress final say over the city’s budget.
While many Republicans don’t know what to make of Trump’s latest threats, most are acutely aware the Constitution gives Congress the final say on D.C.
“I missed that. It sounds fun, but I don't know anything about it,” Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) told Raw Story of Trump’s latest remarks. “I don't know what he means by ‘takeover,’ but you know the Constitution says D.C. is Congress' responsibility.”
Last month, House Republicans passed measures barring undocumented workers from voting, restoring collective bargaining rights for Washington police officers, and forcing city leaders to work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on migrant raids.
On one level, this is nothing new. For instance, since roughly 65% of voters legalized recreational marijuana in the nation’s capital back in 2014, far-right House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris (R-MD) has blocked city officials from regulating recreational cannabis — thereby effectively enshrining D.C.’s thriving black (or gray) market in federal law.
But on another level, local officials face unprecedented federal interference. Leaders argue President Trump and congressional Republicans are to blame for many of D.C’s woes.
This spring, Moody’s Ratings downgraded Washington’s credit rating, due to the loss of an estimated 40,000 federal jobs in the National Capital Region from Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cuts alone.
The GOP also flexed its power over the city while averting a government shutdown earlier this year.
In the continuing resolution to fund the federal government, House Republicans effectively stripped $1 billion from Washington’s 2025 budget by forcing officials to operate at 2024 spending levels.
House Speaker Mike Johnson has refused to take up a bipartisan, Senate-passed fix aimed at undoing those congressionally-mandated cuts, so even though the city has the money, leaders have been forced to use accounting tricks, furloughs and service cuts to get through the year.
Many Republicans hope Trump is bluffing when he teases a federal takeover — unless he’s talking tough on migration.
“It depends on what facet you're talking about,” Sen. Capito said. “In terms of sanctuary cities or cities that are … harboring illegals that are here and committing crimes, I think the president has made clear what he's going to do here.”
“Some people in your party do want a takeover of the federal city,” Raw Story pressed.
“He's not going to take over cities. He can question the governance of cities, and I think that's what he's doing,” Capito said.
“D.C. does have a lot of federal funding, and there's a lot of relevance there, but I think he's just concerned with the ‘defund police’ and illegal activities that are going on that are not being addressed by some of our big city mayors.”
Other Republicans say it’s within Trump’s authority to oversee affairs in the federal city, but caution the president to stay focused.
“I think the president's dealing with enough messes, I'm not sure why you'd want to take another one,” Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) told Raw Story. “I wouldn't want him to take it over, but D.C. could definitely use adult supervision.”
Even though violent crime fell to a 30-year-low in 2024, according to the U.S. Department of Justice, many in the GOP, along with fringe-rightwing talking heads, portray the capital as lawless.
Local elected leaders find themselves transformed into political piñatas.
“Nobody does anything here,” Sen. Tuberville said. “Ever since I've been here, it kind of runs on its own. I don't know what they do with money up here. I’m sure they got plenty.
“It’s pretty easy to clean the streets up, get the graffiti off the walls, get the homeless out of the way of the tourists.”
Democrats are working to get the GOP out of the way.
‘How’s he gonna do that?’
President Trump has also teased taking over New York City, if the democratic socialist mayoral candidate, Zohran Mamdani, wins the race for City Hall.
"We're not going to have — if a communist gets elected to run New York, it can never be the same,” Trump said. “But we have tremendous power at the White House to run places when we have to."
California Democrats know that all too well, as they fight heavy-handed ICE raids in Los Angeles.
They’re warning city leaders across the nation to be ready for unparalleled federal intrusion, especially because the GOP’s “one big beautiful bill” is infusing upwards of $100 billion for ICE and other immigration efforts.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) speaks to members of the media. REUTERS/Nathan Howard
“We see the cruelty and extreme actions in Los Angeles, so I’m expecting to see more of the same, if not worse,” Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) told Raw Story.
“That's one of the cruel outcomes of the budget reconciliation bill, no change in policy with a huge infusion in the budget for immigration enforcement.”
Whether in California or in Washington, Democrats say there’s no mistaking President Trump’s efforts to amass more and more power, including meddling in local and state issues.
“Look, this is his king complex, right?” Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) told Raw Story. “He wants to be king. He wants to get rid of democracy.
“He doesn't want the people of the District of Columbia to have the right of self-determination, so it's just part of his authoritarian ruler complex.”
Raw Story asked. “Do you worry that he could actually…?”
Van Hollen interjected: “No. Well, I mean, we need to all make sure he doesn’t. I mean, how’s he gonna do that?”
“But he’s pushed every other boundary,” Raw Story replied.
“We all need to make sure we stand up,” Van Hollen said. “Unfortunately, to your point, you have Republicans continuing to be a rubber stamp to anything dear leader wants.”
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) speaks to reporters. REUTERS/Tierney L. Cross