Washington, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser shared that she had a productive meeting with President-elect Donald Trump, who had previously mentioned the possibility of federalizing the district due to crime concerns.
Bowser stated, “Today, President Trump and I had a great meeting to discuss our shared priorities for the President’s second term,” in a statement.
Both Bowser and Trump expressed a desire for Washington, DC, to be a beautiful city that reflects the strength of the United States. They discussed areas of collaboration, including the federal workforce, underutilized buildings, and infrastructure.
While Trump had previously criticized the city for its crime rate, the meeting with Bowser showed a potential for cooperation between local and federal government.
During his campaign, Trump had promised to address the crime issues in DC by federalizing it, calling it a “dirty, crime-ridden death trap.” He had pledged to improve law enforcement and aesthetics in the city.
The high number of murders in 2023 led to Congress intervening to prevent changes to the criminal code that would have reduced penalties for violent crimes like carjackings.
As a result of intervention, the murder rate decreased by 32% in 2024, and overall violent crime also saw a significant drop.
Bowser and Trump had previously met before Trump’s first inauguration in 2016. However, tensions arose between them during protests in DC in Trump’s first term.
The Trump administration did not provide a comment on the meeting with Bowser.
