Sen. Markwayne Mullin repeatedly flubs in gutsy attack against Trump foe

Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) tried to make a point about crime in Washington, D.C. — but critics are focusing on mistake he repeated instead.

During a Fox News interview on Wednesday, Mullin was seemingly unaware of the identity of Muriel Bowser, the mayor of the nation’s capital, as he continued to use male pronouns to describe her.

“The left media, and the leaders in Washington, D.C., especially — and I will say this — the very racist mayor, and people may get eyebrows when I raise that, but he’s the one that brings in race into the conversation,” Mullin said on the “The Ingraham Angle.”

“So he’s the one that’s pointing the fingers at it, and when you point one finger, you got three pointing right back at you. But for him to say that, and flat out lie to the American people, he knows exactly what’s happening,“ he continued.

Mullin went on to say that “crime is not down,” but “the lack of prosecution is down.”

Social media users were quick to pounce on Mullin over his flubs.

“If you’re going to smear the mayor of DC with falsehoods, at least give the audience the impression that you know who SHE is,” legal scholar Ryan Goodman wrote on X.

Another user attached an image of Bowser, with the caption, “Meanwhile, the current DC mayor.”

“Proof this clown Markwayne Mullin has no clue what he’s talking about and is no more than a Trump lapdog spewing whatever talking points he’s given,” a different user said.

President Donald Trump announced on Monday that he would be taking control of the Metropolitan Police Department and deploying hundreds of National Guard soldiers to the city in an effort to combat crime. National Guard troops were first spotted in the area earlier this week.

On Wednesday, Trump said that he would ask Congress for a “long-term” extension on federalizing the police — a move that would require Democratic support to ultimately pass. A section of the city’s “Home Rule Act” allows the president to take control of the department, but only up to 30 days without congressional approval.

Trump’s unprecedented decision comes as local officials continue to stress that crime levels have already begun dropping in the city. During remarks to reporters on Monday, Bowser had called Trump’s plan “unsettling and unprecedented,” but said that she did not have the legal authority to stop the president. She also said that an increased law enforcement presence in neighborhoods “may be positive.”

“I can’t say that given some of the rhetoric of the past that we’re totally surprised,” she said.

But on Tuesday, Bowser took a more pointed approach.

“This is a time where community needs to jump in and we all need to, to do what we can in our space, in our lane, to protect our city and to protect our autonomy, to protect our Home Rule, and get to the other side of this guy, and make sure we elect a Democratic House so that we have a backstop to this authoritarian push,” she said.

In early January, federal officials reported that total violent crime in Washington for 2024 had reached a 30-year low. Since then, data released by the Metropolitan Police Department shows that the rate has plummeted by 26%.

During his comments on Monday, Trump also suggested that other U.S. cities could be targeted next, including New York City, Los Angeles, Baltimore, Oakland and Chicago.