D.C. Mayor Calls Trump Takeover 'Un-American'

Source: Newsweek

Published Aug 17, 2025 at 4:42 AM EDT


The mayor of Washington, D.C., has condemned the Trump administration's federal intervention in the city's policing, describing the deployment of troops to the capital as unpatriotic.

"American soldiers and airmen policing American citizens on American soil is #UnAmerican," Mayor Muriel Bowser wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter. Newsweek has contacted the White House for comment via email outside office hours.

Why It Matters

It comes after President Donald Trump said at a press conference on Monday that the city "has been overtaken by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals, roving mobs of wild youth, drugged-out maniacs and homeless people."

Trump's intervention marks an unprecedented federal involvement in the local governance of the District of Columbia, using emergency powers that city officials and critics describe as a political power play. The deployment has sparked backlash over constitutional limits and home rule rights. Critics argue it breaches democratic principles and could set a dangerous national precedent, while supporters frame it as a necessary measure for public order.

Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/washington-dc-mayor-trump-national-guard-2114584