President Donald Trump is warning that the federal government could move to take greater control over D.C. if progressive candidate Janeese Lewis George wins the race to become the District’s next mayor.
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Speaking to reporters at a White House news conference on Thursday, Trump was asked what he thought about D.C. Council member Janeese Lewis George, a Democratic Socialist, and how her campaign followed the same platform as New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
“I wouldn’t like it” if Lewis George wins, Trump said.
If it happens, “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.”
Trump said he believes the city has improved under his administration’s approach and suggested a win for Lewis George could reverse those gains. “By the way, Washington, now, is a safe, beautiful place,” he said.
“People are coming; restaurants are thriving,” the president added. “The restaurants were all closing, closed. … Now you can’t get restaurant space … We have a thriving community; we got rid of the crime.”
He did not lay out a specific plan for how the federal government would assume more control over the District.
Trump’s comments immediately put the issue of D.C. home rule back at the center of the mayor’s race.
“We are not going to get ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) off our streets by fearing this president. We are not going to protect our rights or Home Rule by obeying in advance,” Lewis George wrote in a statement after the news conference.
“Threatening Home Rule because you do not like how residents vote is an attack on democracy itself. The people of D.C. elect the mayor of D.C. and they want someone who will stand up to Donald Trump.”
Lewis George, a Ward 4 Council member, has campaigned on issues including housing affordability, tenant protections and expanding public services.
The debate comes just days before D.C.’s Democratic primary. Lewis George is one of seven candidates in the race, facing a crowded field that includes former Council member Kenyan McDuffie, who’s also seen as a leading contender.
McDuffie also criticized the president in a statement, saying it’s up to D.C. residents to decide the next mayor, not the president.
“As mayor, I’ll fight tooth and nail to protect Home Rule and defend against MAGA federal overreach, keep our city safe and revive our economy that Trump’s policies have decimated, including the tens of thousands of residents who have been laid off by his unconscionable actions with Elon Musk,” McDuffie’s campaign wrote in a statement.
The president cannot eliminate D.C.’s home rule alone. Congress would need to approve that for it to actually happen.
Sunday is the final day of early voting. Election Day is June 16.
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