President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the federal government could move to take greater control of Washington if Janeese Lewis George wins the race to become the District’s next mayor, a threat that pushed Home Rule to the center of the D.C. Democratic primary just days before voting ends.
Speaking at a White House news conference, Trump called Lewis George a Democratic Socialist and said, “I wouldn’t like it” if she won. He added, “maybe we’ll take back Washington and run it on a federal basis. We won’t put up with it. We’re not going to lose our businesses.” He also said, “By the way, Washington, now, is a safe, beautiful place. People are coming; restaurants are thriving. We have a thriving community; we got rid of the crime.”
The comments landed in a race where Lewis George, a Ward 4 Council member, has campaigned on housing affordability, tenant protections and expanding public services. Her response was immediate. In a statement, she said the city is not going to get ICE off its streets by fearing Trump, and it is not going to protect its rights or Home Rule by obeying in advance. She said threatening Home Rule because voters are disliked is an attack on democracy itself, adding that the people of D.C. elect the mayor of D.C. and want someone who will stand up to the president.
Trump did not spell out any plan for how the federal government would assume more control over the District, and he cannot eliminate D.C. home rule on his own. Congress would need to approve any removal of that authority, leaving his warning more as a political threat than a move he can carry out unilaterally. Still, the remark injected a rare federal power fight into a mayoral contest that is already drawing sharp lines over who should speak for the city.
Lewis George is one of seven candidates in the Democratic primary, with former Council member Kenyan McDuffie also seen as a leading contender. McDuffie said it is up to D.C. residents to decide the next mayor, not the president, and his campaign said he would fight to protect Home Rule and defend against MAGA federal overreach. The campaign also said Trump’s policies have decimated the city’s economy and blamed tens of thousands of layoffs on his actions with Elon Musk.
Early voting continues, with Sunday the final day. Election Day is June 16, and the result will decide not only who leads the city but how directly the fight over self-government shapes the next mayor’s mandate.
