President Donald Trump gave an ultimatum to Mayor Muriel Bowser on Wednesday to clean up the rampant homeless encampments around Washington, D.C., or face intervention from federal authorities.
Trump posted on Truth Social that Bowser should take action to clean up camps around the State Department and the White House. If she doesn’t take action, Trump said that he would step in and do it.
“We have notified the Mayor of Washington, D.C., that she must clean up all of the unsightly homeless encampments in the City, specifically including the ones outside of the State Department, and near the White House,” Trump posted. “If she is not capable of doing so, we will be forced to do it for her! Washington, D.C. must become CLEAN and SAFE!”
“We want to be proud of our Great Capital again,” he added. “Thank you Mayor Bowser for your efforts on behalf of the Citizens of our Country. Hopefully you will be successful!”
The demand comes as the Trump administration has floated taking more aggressive action to cut down on homelessness and crime in the nation’s capital, including taking over governance of the district.
“I think that we should govern the District of Columbia,” Trump told reporters last month. “I think that we should run it strong, run it with law and order, make it absolutely flawless.”
“And I think we should take over Washington, D.C. We could save people from getting killed,” Trump added. “The federal government should take over the governance of D.C. and run it really, really properly.”
Bowser previously said that homeless encampments are “not technically permitted in the District” and seemed open to working with the White House to be tougher on crime.
The D.C. Democrat has also been facing pressure in recent weeks from congressional Republicans, who have introduced bills targeting lawlessness in the city.
Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-GA) introduced a bill on Monday that would force D.C. to rename its Black Lives Matter Plaza to Liberty Plaza, saying “we are not a defund the police nation.”
In response, Bowser suggested that the plaza could be renamed and redesigned ahead of America’s 250th birthday, but offered few specifics, according to local media.
“The mural inspired millions of people and helped our city through a painful period, but now we can’t afford to be distracted by meaningless congressional interference,” Bowser said. “The devastating impacts of the federal job cuts must be our number one concern.”
Last month, Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) and Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) introduced a bill that would end “home rule” established decades ago for District residents to control their own local affairs, and bring the district under the management of Congress. The lawmakers cited violent crime and the city council’s push to allow non-citizen voting as reasons for the legislation.
