The president’s spectacular attempt to “clean up” crime in DC, streetlights and even the Kennedy Center has angered local leaders, who say he has overstepped his authority.
By Paul SCHWARTZMAN
Donald J. Trump’s many incarnations include real estate developer, casino owner, television host and president. Now he’s trying out a new role he seems to have wanted for years: mayor of a big city. After beginning to crack down on the D.C. police department and deploying the National Guard to Washington, Trump this week threw himself into small-town duties, promising to clean up the city’s parks, improve street lighting and combat the rat population that has plagued residents for years. “We’re going to get rid of them too,” he said of the rats.
Trump also criticized the city’s mayor, Muriel E. Bowser (D), saying she “had better get her act together or she won’t be mayor for very long because we’re going to take it up with the federal government and run it properly.” A spokesman for the mayor declined to comment.
For anyone familiar with Trump’s past, his focus on local issues and street aesthetics is nothing new, dating back to his decades as a developer in New York, where he was known for his meddling in city life. Although he never ran for mayor, Trump has occasionally given the impression that he wanted to run the City, including when he took over the renovation of Wollman Rink in Central Park in 1986, after criticism of former Mayor Edward I. Koch’s tardiness. Years later, after a violent incident in Central Park, Trump bought full-page ads in New York newspapers calling for the reinstatement of the death penalty for the accused (five young African-Americans and Latinos were later acquitted).
“Most people in development or finance don’t talk publicly about the state of the city,” said Hank Sheinkopf, a prominent Democratic consultant from New York. “But Trump has always wanted to be seen as a caring citizen of the city. Now he lives in D.C. and he’s doing the same thing, except now he has the power to make the law as he pleases.”
His main difference is that the president behaves this way in the White House, the most respected stage in the country. One of the moments when Trump wore a hat that read “TRUMP WAS RIGHT ABOUT All” is an example of his theatrical approach. His actions have prompted legal challenges, including from the D.C. Attorney’s Office, which managed to temporarily limit the administration’s efforts to control the city’s police, although it was allowed to order officers to help enforce immigration law. Trump has taken the focus and position of a local leader, describing D.C. as overrun with crime, even though statistics show a significant decrease and polls show residents feel safer.
He suggested patrolling Southeast Washington with uniformed officers — an idea he later backed off. Instead, he visited a Park Police and National Guard facility to speak with law enforcement staff. He also toured the Kennedy Center and proposed renaming the building the “Trump Kennedy Center.”
Trump pledged $2 billion to clean up the city, calling it a “garbage dump.” He also focused on light poles, roads and paving, discussing technical details. Trump’s constant criticism and the presence of federal agents and the National Guard have caused tension between local authorities and residents. “We are under siege,” said Phil Mendelson, president of the D.C. Council. “The city is beautiful and safe. This narrative of crime is fabricated.” Residents who support his actions say the cleanup and control of rats and crime is welcome.
(The Washington Post)
