Trump Again Threatens to Take Over D.C. – This Time Regarding D.C.’s 2026 Mayoral Primary Elections

By: Miriam Edelman

President Donald Trump continues to interfere with Washington, D.C. This time, on June 11, 2026, less than a week before D.C.’s 2026 elections and after some D.C. residents have already voted, Trump threatened to take over D.C. if top Mayoral candidate D.C. Councilmember Janeese Lewis George, a Democratic socialist, wins D.C.’s June 16, 2026, primary election. Although Trump has been overly focused on the District of Columbia, he had not made any comments on D.C.’s current local elections until June 11^th.

As some of DCNOW’s blog posts discussed, Trump has been focused on Washington, D.C. In February 2025, he said:

“I think that we should govern District of Columbia.”

“It’s so important, the D.C. situation. I think that we should run it strong, run it with law and order, make it absolutely, flawlessly beautiful, and I think we should take over Washington, D.C., make it safe.”

In 2025, Trump created the Safe and Beautiful Task Force. During that summer, Trump took over D.C.’s police force temporarily and sent the National Guard to D.C.

Lewis George reportedly is leading D.C.’s Mayoral race. According to a recent poll, she (36 percent of support) leads the next-closest candidate, former D.C. Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie (25 percent of support), by 11 percent among likely Democratic primary elections voters. While five other Democratic Mayoral candidates each have less than five percent and while Other/None has two percent, 25 percent have “No opinion.” According to another recent poll, Lewis George has 39 percent, McDuffie has 34 percent, and other candidates each have just less than eight percent. That poll also shows that 24 percent of voters are undecided.

Ranked-choice voting (RCV), which is being used in D.C.’s elections for the first time, could decide the mayoral Democratic primary election. In RCV elections, a candidate cannot win with just a plurality (meaning more votes than any other candidate). A candidate must achieve of a majority (that is, at least 50 percent of the vote plus one vote). In D.C.’s RCV elections, voters order candidates according to their preference (i.e., they can assign candidates #1 through #5). Multiple DCNOW’s blog pieces have discussed RCV. A recent piece is “How Ranked Choice Voting Works in D.C.” Reportedly, more of the voters who do not rank Lewis George or McDuffie #1 would like to rank McDuffie as #2. Thus, he could theoretically overtake Lewis George and win D.C.’s upcoming primary election. Such a result would not be unprecedented in RCV elections.

At a press conference on June 11^th, a reporter asked Trump:

“Mr. President, Mr. President, here in Washington, D.C., there's a Democratic primary for mayor. One of the two leading candidates, Janeese Lewis George, is running a Zohran Mamdani campaign. It's focused on socialist policies. How would you feel if she emerges victorious in next Tuesday's?”

Trump replied:

“Well, I wouldn't like it. And maybe we take back Washington, run it on the federal basis. We won't put up with it. We're not going to lose our businesses. By the way, Washington now is a safe, beautiful place. We had 22 fountains dug that are all working. Not one of them worked for years, for 25 years, 40 years, 58 years…The actually…the pool didn't work from 19, it was 1928, it was built. It always leaked because it was done in stone. Now, it's done properly. It's not going to leak at all, but… this is a beautiful place now. People are coming. Restaurants are thriving. The restaurants were all closing. Closed. Nobody wanted. Now, you can't get restaurant space. You can't get into it. We have a thriving community. We got rid of the crime. We're 92% down on crime. Think of it. And we're going to be close to 100% pretty soon. You always have some whack job someplace, but we're going to be close to 100%. So, Washington is thriving. Memphis is, I, the people came in from Memphis. 74% reduction in crime….New Orleans, think of that. 78% reduction in crime. They had the safest Mardi Gras that they've ever had. You know why? Because we sent in people that are that take care of crime. Chicago should do it. New York should do it. Los Angeles should do it. We'll make safe places. It's right.”

Trump did not explain why he opposed Lewis George. However, according to George Washington University political historian Matthew Dallek, Trump “may view the surge of very leftist candidates who win office as a potent enemy, someone he can attack.” Dallek added. “Trump needs an enemy - he’s always had an enemy. He needs an enemy.”

According to the Washington Post, Lewis George and McDuffie have taken different public positions regarding Trump. After Trump took control of D.C.’s police temporarily during the summer of 2025, Lewis George marched and said D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser was too compliant. Meanwhile, McDuffie “was less vocal in public but chose to share his concerns with Bowser during a private meeting with the council shortly after Trump seized control of city police.” He said, “I think everybody understood where I was on ICE, particularly the folks in that room.” According to McDuffie, Lewis George’s approach was “loud, perhaps ineffective.”

Opposition from D.C. Candidates, Local Organizations, and New Campaign

Some D.C. Mayoral candidates responded to Trump’s latest comments. Lewis George said:

“The reality is that the people of D.C. vote for the Mayor of D.C., and the president threatening home rule because he doesn't like how residents may vote. To me, is an attack on democracy itself.”

She also remarked:

“I think that this moment is just one of the many reasons why voters should trust that I am someone that means what I say when I say I'm going to defend DC residents and protect our values."

Lewis George posted on Facebook

“Threatening Home Rule because you do not like how residents vote is an attack on democracy itself.

The people of DC elect the mayor of DC.”

The post also included a video. That video featured some of Trump’s comments and included Lewis George saying:

“Look, we’re not going to get ICE off of our streets by fearing this president. We’re not going to protect our rights or Home Rule by complying in advance. Threatening Home Rule because you don’t like how residents are voting is an attack on democracy itself. The people of D.C. elect their mayor, and they want someone who’s gonna stand up to Donald Trump. So D.C., let’s vote.”

Responding to Trump, McDuffie released the following statement:

“The stakes of this election couldn’t be higher, but DC decides who will be the next mayor, not Donald Trump. 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.”

Mayoral candidate Rini Sampath released the statement below:

“Completely unacceptable. We need to do everything in our power to stop Donald Trump from taking over our city. The president is looking for a reason to get rid of home rule, and we are already seeing federal infringement on everything from traffic cameras to beautification to local decision-making.

That is why the next mayor’s role is not just to resist Trump. The next mayor’s role is to deny him an opening. That means fixing the budget, cleaning up procurement, going agency by agency, holding directors accountable, and making the basics work again.

Kenyan McDuffie and Janeese Lewis George are both Council politicians. They have both been in the building. They have both voted on budgets. They have both watched these agencies fail. This is not the moment for another legislator giving speeches from the dais. This is the moment for a real administrator and operator who can protect home rule by proving D.C. can govern itself.”

Other candidates weighed in on Trump’s latest anti-D.C. remarks, which have united leading and other candidates in the D.C. delegate race. In a joint statement, D.C. Delegate candidates, including Trent Holbrook, Greg Jaczko, Brooke Pinto, Robert White and Kinney Zalesne, wrote:

“Yesterday, the President threatened to strip DC of Home Rule if he does not like the election outcome in our local elections. We stand together to say clearly: that is an attack on democracy. No President should threaten our right to govern ourselves based on how we vote. Threatening to override an election before it happens is exactly the kind of federal interference DC residents have fought against for generations. The people of DC decide who leads DC, not Donald Trump. We stand with the voters of the District of Columbia, and against any attempt to undermine our Home Rule.”

For the record, White (#1) and Pinto (distant #2) have been leading recent polls in the Delegate race.

Local organizations also responded to Trump. DC Vote’s Executive Director Amy Vruno’s statement was:

“Our message to Americans around the country is, imagine the President of the United States threatening to overthrow your local government if he dislikes the results of a free and fair local election. We call on fellow Americans to stand with the 700,000 residents of the District, stand against any attempt by Trump to work with Congress to overturn DC elections and Home Rule, and to stand up for statehood for DC. Residents deserve the same freedom as other Americans to elect local government leaders and voting representation in Congress.

The President of the United States just threatened to strip a city of its self-governing authority because he may not like how its residents vote. This is a threat to democracy itself.

DC’s nearly 700,000 residents pay federal taxes, serve in the military, and follow federal law, just like every other American. What they do not have is the same right to elect their own local leaders free from federal interference, or a voting voice in Congress to push back when that interference happens. No U.S. Senators. No vote in Congress. Today’s remarks make clear, once again, why that must change. The only permanent solution is DC statehood.”

 The D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute’s statement was:

“Last night, President Trump threatened to revert DC to governance on a ‘federal basis.’ The statement is the latest in this administration’s pattern of interference in DC’s autonomy and a direct threat to the democratic rights of DC residents.

‘It is not the president’s decision who governs DC; it’s the decision of residents. That’s democracy. Threatening to strip us of our rights in response to political preference is an insult to the tenets of democracy and a contradiction to the patriotic fanfare currently blanketing the District,’ said DCFPI executive director Erica Williams. 

Despite Trump’s claims that ‘Washington is thriving,’ this administration has indisputably harmed the local economy. DC residents currently face the highest rate of unemployment in the nation following a slew of DOGE layoffs, leaving many qualified workers at risk of leaving the District due to a lack of employment opportunities. The safety net is shrinking for DC’s most vulnerable residents due to slowing revenue growth that has been exacerbated by escalating federal interference and actions. The mass deportation agenda beyond a cruel militaristic approach has also hampered business activity and revenue, posing risks to critical sectors of the workforce. 

Residents who say DC is headed in the wrong direction identify President Trump and DC’s lack of full rights and representation among the top problems facing the District today. Yesterday’s threats will no doubt only add to that sentiment.”

On social media, the new Together for DC campaign, of which DCNOW is a steering committee member, posted:

“Threatening to take away our rights because you don’t like who we vote for is authoritarian and anti-American. The right to vote for representation is fundamental to democracy.

DC is on the frontlines of Trump’s escalating attacks on democracy. Threats like these start here because DC isn’t a state–but what’s next?

Attacks on DC’s autonomy do not just harm DC residents. They weaken the promise of democracy for all of us and normalize federal overreach that can (and has) spread to other communities nationwide. We need allies in other states to join our fight: togetherfordc.org”

Conclusion

Trump has every right to make endorsements in electoral races, and his endorsements seem to have been critical in multiple races. However, Trump should not threaten taking over D.C. if D.C. voters choose Lewis George. As the U.S. is a democracy, D.C. residents should be able to elected their preferred candidates in all races without fear of major retaliation.

Trump’s latest comments shows why D.C. statehood is so critical. If D.C. were a state, Trump could not make such authoritarian threats against our nation’s capital.