President Donald Trump is raising the possibility of greater federal control over Washington, D.C., if democratic socialist candidate Janeese Lewis George wins next week’s Democratic mayoral primary.
Speaking to reporters during an Oval Office event on Thursday, Trump said he would strongly oppose a George victory and suggested the federal government could step in if he believed the city was moving in the wrong direction.
“I wouldn’t like it, and maybe we take back Washington and run it on a federal basis,” Trump said.
“We won’t put up with it. We’re not going to lose our businesses,” the president added.
Trump did not mention George by name, but his comments appeared directed at the D.C. councilmember, who has emerged as the leading candidate in the race to succeed outgoing Mayor Muriel Bowser.
Recent polling shows George holding a double-digit lead over former D.C. Council member Kenyan McDuffie ahead of the June 16 Democratic primary.
The remarks immediately intensified an already heated debate over the future of the nation’s capital and the scope of federal authority over local government.
Washington operates under the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, which grants residents the ability to elect their own mayor and city council while still leaving Congress with ultimate authority over the district.
Trump has repeatedly argued that the federal government should play a larger role in governing Washington, citing concerns about crime, homelessness, public safety, and economic development.
“We have a thriving community,” Trump said Thursday. “We got rid of crime. Washington now is a safe, beautiful place. People are coming. Restaurants are thriving.”
The president suggested that a socialist administration could reverse those gains and harm businesses operating in the city.
His comments come less than a year after he took the unprecedented step of invoking emergency powers under the Home Rule Act to temporarily assume control of the Metropolitan Police Department.
Last August, Trump ordered a federal takeover of the city’s police force and deployed National Guard troops throughout Washington.
The move generated fierce opposition from local officials and congressional Democrats, who accused the administration of undermining local self-government.
While the direct federal control of the police department ended after several weeks, National Guard personnel have remained stationed in the city, and Pentagon officials have indicated the deployment could continue through the end of Trump’s term.
George quickly responded to Trump’s latest comments, calling them a direct threat to local democracy.
George, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, has built her campaign around housing affordability, lower living costs, expanded social programs, and public safety reforms.
The controversy surrounding George has expanded beyond her policy proposals.
Earlier this year, she faced criticism for opposing youth curfews during a period of highly publicized teen mob incidents and large fights that disrupted neighborhoods across the city.
Republican National Committee Chairman Joe Gruters says Republicans may outspend Democrats this election cycle, a dramatic reversal from past campaigns where Democrats often held the fundraising advantage.
Speaking on Breitbart, Gruters argued Republicans are entering the midterm cycle with significantly stronger financial positioning and unprecedented coordination across the conservative movement.
Host Mike Slater asked Gruters to put the reported $70 million Democrats spent in Virginia’s recent redistricting battle into perspective.
“How much money is that for the parties?” Slater asked.
Gruters responded by painting a bleak financial picture for Democrats.
“The DNC has minus 4 million [dollars], and it wasn’t the DNC that plowed $70 million: It was the collective,” Gruters said.
“So, if you look at the collective on the right, we may have $800 million,” he continued.
“The collective on the left may have $350 million, and when you have the court, there’s gonna be a court case that is ruled on in the next week or two, coordinated campaign limits, which will magnify that, which will allow full coordination and allow the parties to spend at the candidate rate, which is massive for us,” he said.
Gruters said the financial landscape could mark a historic break from previous election cycles.
“When you have that financial advantage, people, you know, people don’t know that the Democrats routinely spend more than us on election cycles, because they have more massive donors and that will write massive checks,” he said.
“But this time, this cycle [we] will either spend a parity or will outspend them, and that’s never happened before,” he added.
According to Gruters, the RNC itself is in far stronger shape than the Democratic National Committee.
He said the RNC currently has “about $125 million” on hand compared to what he described as negative cash reserves at the DNC.
Gruters also pointed to allied Republican organizations as part of a broader coordinated effort.
“Our Republican National Senatorial Committee, let’s say, has $80 million. House committee has $80 million,” he said.
