Mayor Muriel Bowser called out President Donald Trump’s takeover of the D.C. police department on Monday (August 11) as both “unsettling and unprecedented” during a press briefing, pushing back on what she described as a “so-called emergency” used to justify federal control of the city’s law enforcement.
The D.C. Mayor acknowledged the president’s authority under the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, which allows a temporary 30-day federal takeover in the name of public safety, but made clear she found the move highly irregular.
“I’m going to work every day to make sure it’s not a complete disaster,” Bowser said. “Let me put it that way.”
Trump’s order, announced over the weekend, places the Metropolitan Police Department under federal command and deploys officers from multiple agencies across the city.
The president claimed the action was necessary to “stop violent crime” and clean up the city, including clearing homeless encampments and threatening to bring in the National Guard.
Bowser, however, pointed to data showing violent crime in the District had dropped to a 30-year low, with a 26% decrease in violent incidents and an overall 7% dip in crime this year.
“We’re going to work every day to get this emergency put to an end — I’ll call it the ‘so-called emergency,’” she said.
The mayor also noted that while the federal intervention was disturbing, it wasn’t entirely unexpected given the administration’s past rhetoric.
Donald Trump Plans To Force Unhoused People Out Of D.C.
Democratic leaders across the country have echoed Bowser’s concerns, calling the takeover excessive and politically motivated.
Critics argue the move is less about crime and more about optics, mainly as federal agents in marked vehicles now patrol high-traffic areas and known hotspots.
Trump’s directive includes plans to remove unhoused individuals from public spaces, stating they should “move out immediately,” while saying those committing crimes would be jailed.
BREAKING NEWS: Donald Trump is DEPLOYING the National Guard in DC to EVICT homeless people. pic.twitter.com/vy3fGoFVv8
— Brian Baez (@MentallyDivine) August 11, 2025
The White House has not provided a timeline for when federal control will end.