Bowser pushing back on Trump’s DC rhetoric after initial placating tone

Published August 13, 2025 10:53am ET



Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser deployed some of her harshest rhetoric against President Donald Trump during his second term, deriding his takeover of the city’s police as an “authoritarian push.”

Though clashing with Trump during his first term, Bowser has taken a more diplomatic approach the second time around, both in rhetoric and actions. Even after Trump’s “Liberation Day” announcement on Monday, Bowser gave a largely muted response, saying she would cooperate with the president. On Tuesday, she shifted her tone, voicing hostility to Trump’s move.

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