Q&A – Is It Possible for the Trump Administration to Seize Control of D.C.?
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Today’s entry: @brianmuddradio Is it possible for Trump to takeover D.C.? What would have to happen and what would that look like?
Bottom Line: Today’s note comes following the recent beating of former DOGE member Edward Coristine, aka “Big Balls”, in Washington, D.C, as he rushed to save a woman from an attempted carjacking. President Trump’s post on Truth Social included a post of Edwards bloodied on the ground following the beating and stated:
Crime in Washington, D.C., is totally out of control. Local “youths” and gang members, some only 14, 15, and 16-years-old, are randomly attacking, mugging, maiming, and shooting innocent Citizens, at the same time knowing that they will be almost immediately released. They are not afraid of Law Enforcement because they know nothing ever happens to them, but it’s going to happen now! The Law in D.C. must be changed to prosecute these “minors” as adults, and lock them up for a long time, starting at age 14. The most recent victim was beaten mercilessly by local thugs. Washington, D.C., must be safe, clean, and beautiful for all Americans and, importantly, for the World to see. If D.C. doesn’t get its act together, and quickly, we will have no choice but to take Federal control of the City, and run this City how it should be run, and put criminals on notice that they’re not going to get away with it anymore. Perhaps it should have been done a long time ago, then this incredible young man, and so many others, would not have had to go through the horrors of Violent Crime. If this continues, I am going to exert my powers, and FEDERALIZE this City. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!
In the wake of the attack, D.C.’s Metropolitan Police have arrested two 15-year-olds from Maryland for the attack and said the investigation remains active with additional suspects that are being sought.
While it remains to be seen what will become of that particular case, what has been clear for quite some time is that Washington, D.C. has been lax in dealing with its extensive crime problem. By the numbers here’s how much higher the crime rate is in D.C. compared to the rest of the country:
- Property Crime: 225% higher
- Violent Crime: 308% higher
What’s more is that recent high-profile cases are part of a bigger trend. The overall crime rate in Washington D.C. rose by 24% year-over-year most recently. So, in other words, all the underlying facts support President Trump’s concerns. So that takes us to Trump’s threat to end D.C.’s autonomy.
As a federal district, the federal government ultimately retains full authority over the District of Columbia. Unlike sovereignty granted to states under the 10th Amendment, D.C. was granted the local authority it currently operates under, only in 1973 in the District of Columbia Home Rule Act. The Act allowed for a mayor, city council, and local decision-making under them. However, that could change at any time should congress pass a bill signed into law by the president to amend or eliminate it. A new law is what would be needed to permanently “Federalize” D.C. once again. As for what President Trump could do unilaterally...
President Trump could issue an emergency declaration and deploy federal resources to D.C., similarly to what we saw during the LA ICE riots earlier this year. The federal government also controls many of the buildings and much of the property in D.C. and could allocate additional resources to those buildings/land to have a greater presence throughout the city. What he wouldn’t be able to do is unilaterally, without an act of Congress, federalize the city.
Btw, should President Trump take executive action to address crime in the city, or should he push Congress to address it through legislation, it wouldn’t be the first time this has happened even recently. It was only two years ago that Congress passed, and President Biden signed into law, a resolution overriding the D.C. City Council’s soft-on-crime “Revised Criminal Code Act of 2022”. Clearly, however, simply overriding the city’s weak law enforcement initiative hasn’t stopped crime from continuing to spike in D.C., making it one of the least safe places in the country.