President Donald Trump threatened to remove D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) if she does not “get her act straight.”
Trump escalated his attacks on Bowser in recent days after he ordered a federal takeover of Washington, D.C. earlier this month. He has repeatedly accused her of falsifying crime statistics of the nation’s capital despite presenting no evidence for his claim.
Trump threatened to remove Bowser and take over Washington, D.C. during a press conference on Friday afternoon.
“I’m tired of listening to these people say how safe it was before we got here. It was unsafe. It was horrible. And Mayor Bowser better get her act straight, or she won’t be there very long, because we’ll take it over with the federal government run it like it’s supposed to be run,” Trump said on Friday.
“The numbers were horrible. There was a crime infested rat hole, and they do have a lot of rats. We’re getting rid of them too. And we’ve made a lot of progress,” he continued.
Trump also lashed out at Bowser—who rarely criticizes the president—in a 2 a.m. Truth Social post on Friday.
“Washington, D.C. is SAFE AGAIN! The crowds are coming back, the spirit is high, and our D.C. National Guard and Police are doing a fantastic job. They are out in force, and are NOT PLAYING GAMES!!! As bad as it sounds to say, there were no murders this week for the first time in memory,” Trump wrote.
“Mayor Muriel Bowser must immediately stop giving false and highly inaccurate crime figures, or bad things will happen, including a complete and total Federal takeover of the City! Washington D.C. will soon be great again!!!” he added.
Trump announced earlier this month that federal law enforcement would be taking over Washington, D.C., citing a high crime rate in the city. However, his claim was immediately fact checked by reports that found that the crime rate had hit a 30-year-low in the last year.
The White House said there have been 630 arrests, including 251 people who are in the country illegally, since Aug. 7, when Trump began ordering federal agents into the city. Trump has been ratcheting up the intensity since then, seizing control of the D.C. police department on Aug. 11 and deploying more National Guard troops, mostly from Republican-led states.
Trump suggested on Thursday that operations in Washington could be drawn out and serve as a model for others around the country.
“We’re going to make it safe, and we’re going to go on to other places, but we’re going to stay here for a while,” he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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