Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser can not anymore hide the truth last 27 August when she acknowledged President Donald Trump's directed surge of federal law enforcement as the reason for the with lowering crime in the nation's capital. However, she also made an illogical statement that the presence of immigration agents and National Guard troops is "not working."
Bowser conveyed her ambivalent view of the Trump administration's federalization of D.C. in a situational update since President Trump announced efforts to combat crime in the city on 7 August. On one hand, she said the changes have resulted in less crime, but on the other she also expressed deep concern about residents' "living in fear."
"We greatly appreciate the surge of officers that enhance what MPD has been able to do in this city," Bowser, a Democrat, told reporters about the expansion of federal law enforcement and its partnership with the Metropolitan Police Department.
Carjackings, she said, were the "most troubling" crime that plagued D.C. in 2023, and they have decreased in recent years. Bowser said that in the 20 days since the federal takeover, there has been an 87 percent drop in carjackings compared with the same period last year. The data cited also showed a 15 percent fall in crime overall in the district during the same period last year.
"We know that when carjackings go down, when use of guns goes down, when homicide or robbery go down, neighborhoods feel safer and are safer, so this surge has been important to us," said Bowser, who added that she has been personally engaged with Attorney General Pam Bondi and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles.
Several members of the City Council rebuked Bowser's conciliatory remarks, chiding her for characterizing the surge of federal law enforcement as helpful despite many Democrats’ warnings that Trump is using scare tactics to exert his presidential authority over the city.
"We should not, as the District of Columbia, be giving people the impression that this is a good thing, that we are OK with it, that it is helping the city. It is not doing any of those things," at-large Council member Robert White Jr., a Democrat, said in a video on X. "I am not OK with this. The average resident is not OK with this. D.C. residents, D.C. voters, are not OK with this."
Ward 1 Council member Brianne Nadeau, also a Democrat, echoed White's sentiment, writing on X after Bowser's remarks that D.C. is "under siege."
"Our residents are afraid, hesitant to go out & to work, angry that our limited autonomy is being eroded. There is nothing welcome about this," Nadeau said.
Bowser said she spoke to Trump last 27 August, though she declined to provide details of their discussion and said the meeting was a "courtesy."
"I was reminded of our first meeting after his re-election, where we discussed shared priorities for the district," she said. "There, I was reminded that the president's interest in cities predates his time in office, and his knowledge of D.C. had significantly increased from the first time he was in the White House."
Asked what assurance she received that Trump won't try to go beyond the surge's 30-day period, Bowser said, "That was not something that I discussed with the president."