As Democrats Slam Trump's D.c. Crackdown, Mayor Bowser Walks A Fine Line

In nan end, President Donald Trump's connection was 1 that Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser could not refuse.

In mobilizing nan D.C. National Guard, pressing national agents into municipality rule enforcement and taking power of nan Metropolitan Police Department — each successful nan sanction of fighting convulsive crime successful nan nation's superior — Trump invited Bowser to cooperate pinch his administration.

The law, national money and a long-standing threat to repeal self-government successful nan metropolis lined up down him, giving Bowser, who 1 erstwhile adjutant described arsenic having a uncommon expertise to "remove emotion" from governmental and argumentation calculations, small prime but to comply.

"What I’m focused connected is nan national surge and really to make nan astir of nan further serviceman support that we have," Bowser told reporters aft a Tuesday gathering pinch Attorney General Pam Bondi.

That's not to opportunity Bowser is thrilled pinch nan position she finds herself in, efficaciously handing complete rule enforcement successful her metropolis to a president pinch whom she has had a analyzable narration since his first term. During a videoconference pinch Washington, D.C., organization leaders Tuesday evening, Bowser described Trump's maneuvers arsenic an "authoritarian push."

But connected nan whole, her consequence has been acold much measured than those of Democrats — some successful nan D.C. area and nationally — who, little encumbered by applicable consequences of a conflict pinch nan president, person many times and forcefully hammered Trump.

"The Trump management has consistently surgery nan rule and violated nan Constitution to further nan individual and governmental schedule of a wannabe king," House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said successful a connection Monday. "We guidelines pinch nan residents of nan District of Columbia and cull this unjustified powerfulness drawback arsenic illegitimate."

In a Monday news convention announcing his assertion of powerfulness done an executive order, Trump called Bowser "a bully personification who has tried," adding that he acted because "she has been fixed galore chances."

As Bowser noted during a Monday news conference, nan metropolis and national agencies person a agelong history of moving together to plan, execute and protect typical events successful nan city, including during some of Trump's terms. The 2 are besides mostly aligned connected nan extremity of bringing nan Washington Commanders backmost to nan metropolis from nan Maryland suburbs, and Bowser attended a White House news conference connected nan taxable successful May.

But Bowser criticized Trump successful nan summertime of 2020 erstwhile he deployed national rule enforcement officers successful nan nation's superior and activated nan D.C. National Guard to combat protests against constabulary violence. Those forces, including nan U.S. Park Police, were utilized to violently break up a serene objection extracurricular Lafayette Square, conscionable steps from nan White House, clearing a way for Trump to locomotion to a adjacent religion to reside nan news media.

In a missive to Trump successful June 2020, earlier officers connected horseback drove demonstrators distant from nan park, Bowser accused him of "inflaming" and "adding to nan grievances" of protesters, creating a much vulnerable dynamic.

In bid to push national agents and guardsmen into nan streets, Trump declared an emergency successful Washington, D.C., moreover arsenic convulsive crime rates successful nan metropolis have been falling.

Bowser is astatine a disadvantage astatine a clip erstwhile her management is fighting to get Congress and Trump to reverse people connected a rule enacted this twelvemonth that froze $1 cardinal successful metropolis money. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said successful May that he would move "as quickly arsenic possible" to hole what immoderate Republicans said was a correction successful nan drafting of nan law. The Senate passed a change earlier this year, but nan House, which is retired of convention for its August recess, has made nary move toward sending it to nan president for his signature.

Beyond that, national rule plainly gives nan president nan powerfulness to presume power of Washington's Metropolitan Police Department for up to 30 days astatine a clip erstwhile he declares an emergency, arsenic he did this week, and to activate nan D.C. National Guard.

White House property caput Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday that astir 850 national rule enforcement officers and agents fanned retired crossed nan metropolis Monday nighttime and made 23 arrests connected charges ranging from homicide and supplier crimes to skipping retired connected a fare and reckless driving.

Leavitt did not reply to a petition for remark connected Trump's narration pinch Bowser, nor did metropolis spokesperson Susana Castillo.

Justin Bibb, nan politician of Cleveland and president of nan Democratic Mayors Association, said successful an question and reply pinch NBC News that municipal leaders crossed nan state are watching what's happening successful Washington — connected nan heels of Trump activating nan California National Guard to assistance pinch migration enforcement successful Los Angeles — pinch wary eyes.

"Absolutely, we're concerned astir it," he said. "I want to beryllium very crystal clear astir something: We do not want nan National Guard successful our cities.”

Bibb besides defended Bowser's handling of Trump's crackdown this week, pointing to nan different business Bowser finds herself successful compared to leaders of different awesome cities.

“She understands and recognizes that she’s successful a unsocial position wherever there’s nary existent statehood successful D.C., and her autonomy tin beryllium limited, but astatine nan extremity of nan day, she’s going to proceed to do nan occupation she’s been doing connected reducing convulsive crime, pinch aliases without nan support of Donald Trump,” he said.

Trump has publically mused astir returning nan constricted powers of Washington's section authorities to national control. Since 1973, nan metropolis has operated nether a "home rule" charter granted by Congress that allows for residents to elite a politician and metropolis council. But ultimately, nan Constitution gives Congress authority to find nan laws of nan nation's capital. Though residents of Washington, D.C., salary national taxes, nan metropolis does not person voting practice successful Congress.

Declining to straight knock Trump, Bowser nodded to nan city's subservient position during her Monday news conference.

"He has prerogatives successful D.C. dissimilar anyplace other successful nan country," she said of Trump. "There are things that, erstwhile a metropolis is not a authorities and not afloat autonomous and doesn't person senators, that nan national authorities tin do."