Trump Threatens Takeover Of D.C. If Dem Socialist Elected Mayor

"Trump is legally barred from unilaterally revoking the city’s right to self-government, a step that would require an act of Congress."
By Ed Scarce — June 13, 2026

Polls suggest that Janeese Lewis George, a DC city councillor, could win the Democratic primary next week. She's vowed to curb Trump's lawlessness in her city.

Source: Washington Post

President Donald Trump on Thursday waded into D.C.’s mayoral race for the first time, saying he is opposed to Janeese Lewis George, a democratic socialist, winning next week’s Democratic primary.

Trump, when asked by a reporter about the campaign, said he “wouldn’t like it” if Lewis George is victorious and threatened that his administration “maybe would take back Washington, run it on the federal basis.”

Lewis George didn't think much of Trump's threat, calling it "an attack on democracy itself." She's not wrong either.

“Threatening Home Rule because you do not like how residents vote is an attack on democracy itself,” Lewis George, a D.C. Council member, said. “The people of D.C. elect the mayor of D.C. And they want someone who will stand up to Donald Trump.”

While he has authority to seize temporary control of the city’s police department and to deploy the D.C. National Guard, as he did last year, Trump is legally barred from unilaterally revoking the city’s right to self-government, a step that would require an act of Congress.

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