President Donald Trump said this week that the federal government might have to take over Washington, D.C., if the Democratic socialist candidate currently leading in polling wins the race for city mayor.
A White House reporter on Thursday told Trump that candidate Janeese Lewis George, currently a Democratic member of the D.C. City Council, “is running a Zohran Mamdani campaign, focused on socialist policies.”
“How would you feel if she emerges victorious in next Tuesday’s primary?” the reporter asked.
“I wouldn’t like it — and maybe we take back Washington, run it on the federal basis. We won’t put up with it. We’re not going to lose our businesses,” Trump responded.
Q: There’s a crazy socialist running for mayor of Washington, D.C. What if she wins?@POTUS: “I wouldn’t like it — and maybe we take back Washington, run it on the federal basis. We won’t put up with it. We’re not going to lose our businesses.” pic.twitter.com/XDG1977D2W
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) June 11, 2026
Mamdani’s short tenure as mayor has been marked by openly socialist rhetoric — he slams “rugged individualism” and lauds the “warmth of collectivism.” He has made hostility toward big businesses, the financial lifeblood of the Big Apple, a hallmark of his time in office.
Should the federal government take control of D.C.?
Yes: 100% (37 Votes)
No: 0% (0 Votes)
Trump is clearly not a fan.
Lewis George is leading the more moderate former City Council Member Kenyan R. McDuffie by double digits, according to a Washington Post-Schar School poll released on Friday ahead of the June 16 Democratic primary.
Among likely Democratic voters, Lewis George garners 36 percent support, to McDuffie’s 25 percent, with 25 percent of respondents still undecided.
Mark Rozell, dean of George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government, told The Washington Post that McDuffie still could prevail, given the large number of undecided voters.
“Theoretically, at least, that gives McDuffie a chance to make the case, to bring in the persuadable voters,” he said. The newspaper noted that undecided voters tend to be concentrated among moderates, black voters, and those 65 and over.
However, the poll found “nearly half of registered Democrats have a favorable view of socialism, while just 28 percent have an unfavorable view of it.”
Democratic establishment backs McDuffie for DC mayor, while unions bolster Lewis George https://t.co/05a8v179rP
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) June 10, 2026
“It seems socialism is cool these days with many of the Democratic Party-based voters,” Rozell said. “So things that perhaps a generation ago would have been entirely disqualifying … now are right in the mainstream of the activist core of the Democratic Party.”
The Washington Examiner reported that the federal government’s surge last summer of law enforcement and National Guard into the District brought crime down significantly.
Homicides fell 32 percent in 2025, compared to 2024, while robberies dropped 37 percent, and motor vehicle thefts 23 percent, according to data reported by the Metropolitan Police Department. So far this year, homicides are down 44 percent.
Lewis George responded to Trump’s threat to federalize Washington, D.C., saying on Thursday, “We’re not going to get ICE off our streets by fearing this president.”
First on #TheFinal5 on #FOX5DC: DC mayoral candidate Janeese Lewis George condemns the President’s threats to DC’s home rule if she wins next week’s primary, calling federal takeover attempts an attack on democracy. pic.twitter.com/a6RipkQdMs
— Jim Lokay (@Lokay) June 12, 2026
“Threatening home rule, because you do not like how residents vote, is an attack on democracy,” she added.
If Lewis George wins Tuesday’s primary, it will come on top of fellow Democratic socialist Nithya Raman learning this week that she came in second in the Los Angeles mayor’s primary, and therefore will advance to the general election to face Mayor Karen Bass.
Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, facing high disapproval numbers, decided not to seek a fourth term.
In the heavily Democratic District of Columbia, Axios noted, victory in D.C.’s Democratic mayoral primary is tantamount to winning the election.
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