NEW YORKA D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser is reacting somewhat calmly to the deployment of National Guard troops throughout her city as part of President Donald Trump’s efforts to crack down on crime.
She has gone so far as to characterize Trump’s actions as part of an authoritarian drive and described his takeover of the city’s police force and his decision to activate 800 members of the guard as frightening and unprecedented.
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However, despite the extraordinary intrusion into her city, Bowser has so far steered clear of the kind of scathing rhetoric and personal attacks that are characteristic of other prominent Democratic leaders. As Trump has insisted, she is instead assisting the administration in its endeavors, including ordering local workers to dismantle homeless camps.
At a press conference in response to the efforts, Bowser told reporters, “This action today is unsettling and unprecedented, but I can’t say that, given some of the rhetoric of the past, that we’re totally surprised.” She even implied that the city would gain from the increase in resources.
“It might be a good thing that we have more law enforcement and presence in neighborhoods,” she remarked.
Bowser defended her strategy, arguing that she was essentially powerless and that the federal government might violate our autonomy in numerous ways due to restricted home rule.
My tone will be in line with what I believe is crucial for the District. The ability to care for our inhabitants is also crucial for the District,” she stated.
The strategy highlights the fact that Washington is in a vulnerable position under federal control. The largely Democratic city, which enjoys autonomy under a 1973 limited home rule arrangement that Congress might revoke, has been threatened by Trump on multiple occasions with an outright takeover. Republicans, who hold both chambers of parliament, have already cut the city’s budget by more than $1 billion.
That places her in a very different position than Democrats like Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and California Governor Gavin Newsom, whose states rely on federal funding for disaster relief and other purposes but who have been adamantly criticizing the current administration as they prepare for possible presidential runs in 2028. These initiatives coincide with Democratic supporters’ intense annoyance that their party has not been nearly as forceful in opposing Trump’s policies.
Unfortunately, Nina Smith, a Democratic strategist, stated that she is in a very vulnerable position. When you lack the authority that comes with being a state, this kind of thing can occur. Thus, the mayor is currently attempting to manage an extremely challenging government. Because when it comes to constitutional norms or boundaries, this administration has demonstrated no restraint.”
Cooperation
The city has been quickly affected.
Members of the National Guard and agents from the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Drug Enforcement Administration joined Metropolitan Police Department officers on patrol around city neighborhoods on Wednesday, sparking protests from irate citizens.
Wayne Turnage, the Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services, stated that his office was informed by the National Park Service that federal agents would start closing all encampments in the city, both on federal and District lands, so city workers started clearing homeless encampments on Thursday.
According to him, it was preferable for the city to handle the task properly because it had greater resources for social services than the federal government.
He stated that the procedure of closing encampments is quite complicated. We are working with those who have frequently been marginalized. They’re having their lives upended. Therefore, we have implemented a procedure that we believe honors that.
A departure from Trump’s initial term
Compared to Trump’s first term, when she was far more hostile toward the president, Bowser’s strategy is different.
Then, during the George Floyd protests in 2020, she frequently clashed with the government, including ordering municipal workers to paint large yellow lettering that read Black Lives Matter on a street close to the White House.
Bowser adopted a different approach from the beginning this time. She has attempted to avoid confrontation and minimize sources of dispute, including ripping up the Black Lives Matter letters after Trump returned to Washington in response to pressure from Republicans in Congress. She also flew to Florida to meet with Trump at Mar-a-Lago after he won the election.
With Republicans in charge of Congress and an empowered Trump who has made it plain he is eager to push boundaries and use maximum power in ways never seen before, the shift underscores the new political dynamics at work.
Councilwoman Christina Henderson of D.C. stated that she comprehends Bowser’s stance and generally concurs with her assessment that there would be little chance of a legal challenge to Trump’s actions. In his executive order, Trump cited Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act to declare a crime emergency, allowing his government to assume control of the city’s police department. The statute restricts that authority to 30 days unless Congress grants him permission.
Henderson, a former legislative staffer, stated, “The challenge would be on the question of whether this is actually an emergency.” Really, that’s the only thing you could argue against.
Henderson feels that even though the city would have little chance of winning a legal battle, the D.C. administration should still file a challenge based only on precedent.
Trump told reporters on Wednesday that he thinks he can declare a national emergency to extend the 30-day limit, but that “we expect to be before Congress very quickly.”
You can’t have 30 days, therefore we’re going to request long-term extensions on that,” he stated. We will do this as soon as possible. However, we will desire extensions. A national emergency is not something I want to declare. I will if I must.
Few legal alternatives
Unlike other mayors or governors, Bowser has a very unusual relationship with the president and federal government since he is the mayor of the District of Columbia. Thousands of federal employees live in the area, and the economy of the city has already been significantly impacted by the DOGE mass layoffs.
A person familiar with Bowser’s thought process said that her statement reflects the situation as it actually is. Her approach has been to concentrate on identifying areas of cooperation on common priorities between the new administration and herself.
For the time being, Bowser seems determined to adhere to her strategy, stating on Wednesday that her main goal is to ensure that the federal influx benefits us.
In an interview with Fox 5 on Wednesday morning, she and the city’s police chief claimed that extra policemen on patrol and a surge of federal agents connected to Trump’s takeover would increase public safety.
According to police chief Pamela Smith, the city’s police force is short about 800 officers, thus the additional police presence will undoubtedly benefit us.
However, Democratic strategist Nina Smith stated that she thinks Bowser needs to change direction.
How many times before she understands that this person does not have the city’s best interests at heart? She inquired. She could need some time to become tough and push back, in my opinion.
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This report was written in Washington by Will Weissert and Ashraf Khalil of the Associated Press.
