Trump says he's "thinking about" taking over D.C.
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The surprise comments came at a cabinet meeting. Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
President Trump revived the idea of taking over Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, saying the capital city should be run "flawlessly."
Why it matters: Trump is floating his takeover threat amid a high-profile project to build a new NFL stadium in the District and after a Capitol Hill intern was killed in a shooting last week.
What he's saying: "We could run D.C.," Trump told reporters at a cabinet meeting. "We'd get the best person to run it."
- "The crime would be down to a minimal, it'd be much less," he said.
Context: Even as violent crime overall is trending slightly lower, high profile incidents continue to rock the city. A shooting last week hurt two people and killed 21-year-old Capitol Hill intern Eric Tarpinian-Jachym.
- The number of homicides in D.C. is tracking roughly the same as last year, per police data.
Trump over the weekend said he could step in if the D.C. Council does not approve a pending deal for a new Washington Commanders football stadium at the federally-owned RFK site, a massive development project in the nation's capital.
The big picture: Trump last floated a takeover in February, criticizing Mayor Muriel Bowser's management of the city.
- Relations seemed to improve after Bowser cleared several homeless encampments and agreed to work together to beautify the city.
- Trump repeatedly said he wanted to take over D.C. while running as a candidate.
The latest: He returned to the same rhetoric on Tuesday, after being asked about New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani:
- "We're thinking about doing it, to be honest with you. We want a capital that runs flawlessly," he said. "It wouldn't be hard for us to do it. And we've had a good relationship with the mayor. We're testing to see if it works."
- "We have tremendous power at the White House to run places when we have to," he said.
Reality check: A full takeover of the District would require Congress to abolish the city's home rule, which allows for a mayor and locally elected D.C. Council. Right now, only a handful of conservative Republicans support its repeal.
- The president could more easily take over the Metropolitan Police Department, and use other levers to pressure the city government.
