New York (AP) – AS National Guard deploys to her city As a part of the president Donald Trump’s DC Mayor Muriel Bowser is making efforts to crack down on crime.
She is called the Trump acquisition of the city’s police department and his decision to activate 800 security guards. Unstable and unprecedented and cast his efforts as part of a “authoritarian push.”
But Bowser has so far avoided the kind of rhetoric and personal attack typical of other well-known Democratic leaders, despite her unprecedented invasion of the city.
“This behavior today is uncertain and unprecedented, but given some of the rhetoric of the past, we are not entirely surprised,” Bowser told reporters at a press conference in response to his efforts. She even suggested that a surge in resources might benefit cities, saying the limited home rules allow the federal government to “invade our autonomy in many ways.”
“My tenor is suitable for what I think is important to the district,” said Bowser, who is in his third term as mayor. “And what’s important for the district is that they can take care of the citizens.”
This approach underscores the reality of Washington’s instability under the federal thumb. Trump has repeatedly threatened a complete acquisition of an overwhelmingly democratic city, allowing autonomy through a limited housing regulations contract that could be repealed by Congress in 1973. Republicans who control both rooms already have Over 1 billion dollars have been frozen Local spending cuts down urban budgets.
It places her in a very different position from the figures of California Governor Gavin Newsom and Illinois Governor JB Pretzker. These efforts mean that their party was not aggressive enough to work against Trump’s actions amid deep frustration from Democratic voters.
“Unfortunately, she is in a very vulnerable position,” said Democrat strategist Nina Smith. “This is something that can happen when you don’t have the power that comes with being a nation, so that’s what we’re seeing right now, and the mayor is trying to navigate a very tough administration.
Changes from Trump’s first terminology
Bowser’s approach shows a departure from Trump’s first term, where she was far more hostile to the president.
She then clashed regularly with the administration during the 2020 George Floyd protests, including drawing city workers huge yellow letters spelling “Black Life Matter” on the streets near the White House.
This time, Bowser took a different tact than the first one. She flew to Florida to meet Trump in Mar Lago after he won the election. I worked to avoid conflict Conflict downplay points including tear up “Black Lives Matter” letter after he returned to Washington In response Pressure from Republicans in Congress.
The change reflects the new political dynamics that Republicans control Congress and the bold Trump that made it clear they are willing to exert their greatest power in unprecedented ways and push boundaries.
DC Councillor Christina Henderson says she understands Bowser’s position and largely agrees with her conclusion that a legal challenge to Trump’s move will be a long shot. Trump has called Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rules Act His executive order declared a “crime emergency” so that his administration could take over the city’s police. Statues limit the limits they control over 30 days unless approved by Congress.
“The challenge is, ‘Is this actually an emergency?’,” said Henderson, a former council staffer. “That’s really the only part you can challenge.”
Henderson believes the city will face dimly lit prospects in its courtroom fight, but the DC government should challenge it “on precedent” anyway.
Trump told reporters Wednesday that he believes that declaring a national emergency would allow him to extend the 30-day deadline, but “we expect it to come very quickly before Congress.”
“We’re not going to be able to do it for 30 days, so we’re going to ask for an expansion on long-term extensions,” he said. “We’re going to do this very quickly, but we need to expand. I don’t want to call a national emergency. If necessary, I will.”
Limited legal options
According to someone familiar with her ideas, Bowser’s reaction reflects the reality of the situation. As mayor of the District of Columbia, Bowser has very different relationships with other mayors and governors. The city is home to thousands of federal workers, and the massive layoffs under Doge have already had a major impact on the city’s economy.
Her strategy was to focus on finding areas where she and the new administration could collaborate with shared priorities.
For now, Bowser appears to be set to stick to her approach, saying on Wednesday “we’re focusing on making sure the federal surge is useful for us.”
In a morning interview with Fox 5, she and the city police chief argued that an influx of federal agents related to the Trump takeover would improve public safety and increase patrol officers.
Police Chief Pamela Smith said the city’s police department is short with almost 800 officers, and the presence of additional police “is clearly trying to have a positive impact on us.”
But Democrat strategist Nina Smith said Bowser thinks course revisions are needed.
“How many times will this take before you realize that this is not the person who truly makes the most profitable city?” she asked. “I think she might need time to get tough and push back.”
Despite Trump’s rhetoric, statistics The publication of Washington Metropolitan Police shows that violent crime has declined in Washington since its post-pandemic peak in 2023. Recent Ministry of Justice Report Violent crime has fallen 35% since 2023, indicating its lowest percentage in 30 years.
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Associated Press authors Ashraf Khalil and Will Weissert contributed to this report.
