Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser denounced President Trump’s federal intervention in the nation’s capital as an “authoritarian push” during a digital town hall on Tuesday evening.
The comments came as National Guard troops descended on the city in unprecedented numbers.
Bowser delivered her strongest criticism yet of the administration’s crime crackdown while responding to citizen questions.
When asked about how faith groups could assist the community, she urged residents to take action.
“This is a time when the community needs to jump in. To protect our city, to protect our autonomy, to protect our home rule,” Bowser stated.
She continued, “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.”
The mayor’s forceful language marked a significant shift from her previous measured responses to the federal takeover.
Earlier, she had described the intervention as “unprecedented” but acknowledged she was not “totally surprised” by the development.
Camouflaged National Guard troops began arriving in the capital around 8 p.m. Tuesday as part of the White House effort to combat violent crime, per reports.
Military Humvees took positions on the National Mall with officers stationed nearby throughout the evening.
Additional federal agents from various agencies conducted vehicle stops and searches while engaging with local residents.
The New York Times reported that troops maintained their presence for approximately two hours before departing following what a master sergeant characterized as a “presence patrol.”
Pentagon documents obtained by the Washington Post revealed Trump’s consideration of a “Domestic Civil Disturbance Quick Reaction Force.”
This rapid-response unit would deploy 600 personnel within one hour to any location across the United States upon presidential authorization.
The president indicated Monday that similar federal interventions could expand to other major metropolitan areas. “This will go further,” Trump declared, according to Daily Mail reporting.
“We’re going to take back our capital … and then we’ll look at other cities also.”
Trump specifically identified Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Baltimore and Oakland as potential targets for future federal operations.
The administration positioned these actions as necessary responses to rising urban violence and disorder.
FBI Director Kash Patel announced via social media that 23 individuals had been arrested in the city with assistance from federal partners.
The arrests included one person on a murder warrant and multiple individuals for illegal firearm possession.
Additional arrests involved outstanding warrants for driving under the influence and one violation of a restraining order.
“These are just a few examples we are just getting started. When you let good cops be cops they can clean up our streets and do it fast,” Patel wrote.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt reported that approximately 850 officers and agents had been deployed across the city Monday, resulting in the wave of arrests.
The operation represented the largest federal law enforcement presence in the district in recent memory.
Trump announced the initiative Monday, stating it would “rescue our nation’s capital from crime, bloodshed, bedlam and squalor.”
He appeared alongside Attorney General Pam Bondi, US Attorney for DC Jeanine Pirro, FBI Director Kash Patel, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Interior Director Doug Burgum.
The president instructed federal law enforcement to employ aggressive tactics against the city’s most serious offenders.
“You spit and we hit and we can hit real hard,” Trump warned during the announcement ceremony.
The post D.C. Mayor Changes Tune, Urges Residents to Fight Back Against Trump’s ‘Authoritarian Push’ appeared first on Resist the Mainstream.
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Author: Jordyn M.
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