Trump calls for takeover of governance of Washington, DC

US President Donald Trump has said that the federal government should take over governance of Washington, DC.

Speaking to reporters on Air Force One on Wednesday, Trump said he likes the mayor of the US capital, Muriel Bowser, but her administration is not "doing the job," citing too much crime and graffiti and too many tents on lawns, referring to homeless people.

“I think that we should govern the District of Columbia," he said.

"I think we should take over Washington, DC, make it safe. People are getting killed. People are being hurt. You have a great police department there, but somehow they're not utilised properly. We should govern DC. I think the federal government should take over the governance of DC and run it really, really properly," he added.

Washington, DC operates under a mayor-council form of government, but its autonomy is limited by Congressional oversight due to the Home Rule Act of 1973.

Republican lawmakers introduced a bill two weeks ago that would eliminate the District of Columbia's local government, including the elected mayor and city council. It would also enable Congress to legislate for its 700,000 people, 44 percent of whom are African American.

The bill has been named the Bowser Act in reference to the Black mayor of DC, Muriel Bowser.

Similar legislation in 2023 failed to pass and remains unlikely to pass under Senate rules.