D.C. Mayor Bowser reports ‘great meeting’ with Trump despite their rocky past
Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser said Monday that she and President-elect Trump “had a great meeting to discuss our shared priorities for his upcoming term” despite their previously contentious relationship. Relations reached a fever pitch during the 2020 George Floyd unrest.
“President Trump and I both want Washington, D.C., to be the best and most beautiful city in the world, and we want our capital to reflect the strength of our nation,” Bowser said.
The Democratic mayor said she and Trump “discussed areas of cooperation between local and federal governments, particularly regarding our federal workforce, underutilized federal buildings, parks and green spaces, and infrastructure.”
“I am optimistic that we will continue to find common ground with the President during his second term, and we look forward to supporting a successful inauguration on January 20,” she added.
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Washington, D.C. Mayor Bowser appears to be preparing to work with President-elect Donald Trump ahead of his second term. (Getty Images)
The tone of the statement was a far cry from Bowser’s Trump-related messaging four years ago, when the mayor announced that sections of the street leading to the White House where protesters spray-painted “Defund the Police” would be officially recognized by the administration. Bowser and Trump have publicly feuded over the use of federal law enforcement to quell the riots and protests that have gripped the nation’s capital and other U.S. cities.
As for the “federal workforce” Bowser mentioned, congressional staffers and even members of Congress have been victims of carjackings and other violent crimes over the past year.
Just weeks ago, a congressional staffer from Texas was attacked by a group of armed men and took a dozen other people hostage during their morning commute in Washington, according to the Washington Post.
Trump pledged during this year’s campaign that he would reinvigorate Washington, D.C., and other U.S. cities that he said had deteriorated in recent years on the back of progressive policies that fueled violent crime and emboldened criminals.
“We will rebuild our cities, including our capital, Washington, D.C., which has become a very dangerous and mismanaged place. We will make them safe, clean, and beautiful again. We will teach our children to love our country, to love our country.
WUSA reported in June that Washington, D.C., will see the largest surge in violent crime between 2022 and 2023 compared to other major U.S. cities, citing Department of Justice data highlighted by the Major Cities Chiefs Association earlier this year.
People walk along 16th Street after the words “Defund the Police” were painted on the street near the White House on June 8, 2020. Muriel Bowser renamed the area Black Lives Matter Plaza. (Tassos Katopodis/Getty Images)
American Lawyer: Washington, D.C.’s violent crime rate will drop 35% in 2024, reaching a 30-year low
However, Washington, D.C., police and public safety officials said Monday that violent crime in the capital will hit a record low in 2024.
Washington, D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith and Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Lindsay Appiah announced that since 2023, homicides in Washington are down 32%, violent crime is down 35%, and overall crime is down. 15%.
Mathew Graves, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, noted earlier this month that the crime rate in Washington, D.C., dropped 35% annually, a 30-year low.
Bowser spoke at the University of the District of Columbia Homecoming event on November 15, 2024, on the main campus in Washington, DC. (Robb Hill for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Smith on Monday supported better use of technology and praised “the mayor’s approval of additional CCTV cameras across the city.”
The chief also said a sweeping D.C. crime bill enacted earlier this year was a “morale booster” for officers, who said they felt they “could use returned tools or new tools again on the streets.” Use it on.”
The bill also makes it easier for judges to order pretrial detention.
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Appiah, meanwhile, acknowledged that locking up suspects accused of violent crimes before trial rather than releasing them onto the streets to reoffend has contributed to the turnaround.
“Those who commit violent crimes, especially crimes involving firearms, are sometimes required to undergo a preliminary hearing,” Appiah said, according to WRC-TV.
