By Maria Ravani,
Few days ago President Donald Jr. Trump announced –without any previous indication– the federal takeover of the Washington DC, as part of his plan to “fight crime”. With this decision the police department of DC is placed under the orders of the federal government and its instruments. This action comes hand-in-hand with the anti-immigration rhetoric of his cabinet and his handling of the recent LA civil protests (where again the National Guard was deployed even without the consent of the city’s mayor). From “ending foreign wars” to implementing taxes to every single country on this planet, his “highness” is trying really hard to be part of the “big boys group” like Putin, Kim Jong Un and so on.
So, it is really no news that Trump is trying really hard to gain as much power as possible –and of course money. His feud with the mayor of New York, the shear force and brutality of the I.C.E operations that have been going on these past few months and his whole internet persona is giving off the energy of a toddler that wishes to get the attention of everyone and to be pampered without end. However, this latest move can only be described as an overreach of his part. Without any case or any build up, his plain announcement caused quite a kerfuffle. DC officials were caught off guard and his government tried to justify this decision by mentioning his frustration with personal stories that he heard of criminal acts in DC and homelessness. However, official reports have shown that the city has seen a decline in violent offenses these past few years, thus making this “argument” invalid. It is worth to mention that this is the first time that a president has exercised the authority given to him by DC’s 1973 Home Rule Act, which mentions the need of “special conditions of an emergency” to exist (something that is clearly not truth in this case).
The latest news is the DC officials have decided to fight off these clearly overreach of Trump and not accept the appointment of Attorney General Pam Bondi as the new head of the Metropolitan Police Department of DC by suing the administration. DC attorney General Brian Schwalb filled the lawsuit and in his statement he stressed the dangerous precedent that this move can create. “This is the gravest threat to Home Rule that the District has ever faced, and we are fighting to stop it” mentioned Schwalb mirroring the thoughts of many other DC officials who took it upon social media to comment on the move of the current president. DC Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith warned that the takeover poses a “grave risk” for residents and officers alike. She also mentions that she was unaware of the president’s agenda and she was among the people who heard about the takeover for the first time when Trump announced it at the press conference.
With the situation still evolving, we have yet to reach a conclusion. Truth is that ever since Trump took office the political scene of USA is not the same –and will never be the same. Journalism is under fire, legal rights have been overturned, police brutality is not been addressed enough and the economy is trying to survive through all these new taxes and the inflation. This presidency will surely leave its mark on American history, the burning question is if all these are enough for the elections of 2029 to be different than the previous one…
References
- Trump announces federal takeover of DC police and mobilization of National Guard. CNN. Available here
- Pete Hegseth Responds to Claims That He and Trump Want ‘Martial Law’. Newsweek. Available here
- D.C. sues to block Trump’s federal takeover of its police department as intervention intensifies. The Philadelphia Inquirer. Available here
