Democrats Call Trump a "Dictator" Over Plan to Control Washington D.C. Police

Strong Backlash Against City Police Takeover
Bill Proposed to Block Federal Control

Donald Trump, President of the United States, is holding a press conference at the White House on the 11th (local time). Photo by AP

After President Donald Trump announced on the 11th (local time) that he would deploy the National Guard to Washington, D.C. under the pretext of a crime crackdown and take direct control of the city police, the Democratic Party pushed back, denouncing the move as "groundless."

Hakeem Jeffries, House Democratic Leader, wrote on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) that "Donald Trump has no grounds to take over local police departments and has zero credibility on law and order issues. Get lost."

Eleanor Holmes Norton, the House Delegate representing Washington, D.C., and Senator Chris Van Hollen (Democrat, Maryland) announced that they would introduce a bill to prevent the President from placing the city police under federal control. The bill also stipulates that the command and control of the D.C. National Guard should be granted to the Mayor, not the President, just as governors command the National Guard in other regions.

Senator Van Hollen criticized, "Trump's blatant and authoritarian power grab in D.C. is part of a growing national crisis," adding, "He is acting like a dictator in our nation's capital as a rehearsal, pushing democracy to the brink."

Wes Moore, the Governor of Maryland-who is considered a potential Democratic presidential contender and whose state borders Washington, D.C.-also issued a statement, calling the mobilization of the National Guard "extremely dangerous." He argued, "Trump is simply using honorable men and women to distract from his policies that continue to increase unemployment and strip healthcare and food assistance from those who need it most."

The Washington, D.C. City Council stated, "The rate of violent crime in D.C. is the lowest we've seen in 30 years. With no federal emergency, there is no justification for federal control of the city police," pointing out that this is an illegitimate infringement on local autonomy. The Democratic Mayors Association (DMA) also declared, "Trump is simply staging another political charade for his own benefit and wants to distract Americans from his failures. Even if Trump tries to demonize mayors and take credit for their achievements, Democratic mayors will not stop fighting to protect their communities."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.