Democratic Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has left the district for Martha’s Vineyard as President Donald Trump deploys the National Guard to restore law and order in the nation’s capital, Scripps News reported.
Bowser has traveled to Martha’s Vineyard for a “family commitment” amid Trump’s crime crackdown in Washington, D.C, Scripps News reported. The president declared a “public safety emergency” on Aug. 11 and ordered a temporary federal takeover of the local police force while deploying large numbers of federal law enforcement agents to help tackle crime in the capital city.
“The Mayor has a family commitment and will return to the District tomorrow afternoon,” Bowser’s office told Scripps News.
Trump’s move follows a string of high-profile crimes, including the assassination of two Israeli Embassy staffers in May, the June murder of a 21-year-old congressional intern and the Aug. 3 assault of a Trump administration staffer, among other prominent incidents. Bowser, however, has downplayed concerns about public safety in the city, claiming that crime in D.C. is under control.
“I believe that the president’s view of D.C. is shaped by his COVID-era experience during his first term. And it is true that those were more challenging times related to some issues,” Bowser told reporters on Wednesday. “We experienced a crime spike post-COVID, but we worked quickly to put laws in place and tactics that got violent offenders off our streets and gave our police officers more tools, which is why we have seen a huge decrease in crime.”
Legacy media outlets and Democrats, including Bowser, have pointed to local police data showing a 35% drop in violent crime in 2024. However, the figure omits categories such as felony and aggravated assault.
Bowser’s office did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
“This is Liberation Day in D.C. and we’re gonna take our capital back,” Trump said on Monday, announcing the federal crackdown. “We’re taking it back. Under the authorities vested in me as the president of the United States, I’m officially invoking Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act and placing the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) under direct federal control.”
More than 100 individuals have been arrested since the federal takeover of the D.C. police began, according to the White House. On Wednesday night alone, authorities apprehended 45 individuals, including 29 illegal immigrants.
The National Guard will retain control of the D.C. police department for 30 days under the emergency order, after which the administration says it will reevaluate. Trump indicated on Wednesday that he will pursue “long-term extensions” of federal control, which will require congressional approval.
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