Washington, DC governed itself for 52 years, but Trump wants that to end

• US Congress, which has direct authority over Washington, DC, as it does not have state status, has right to review and veto laws passed by capital

ANKARA / ISTANBUL

After 52 years of limited autonomy for Washington, DC and the right to establish its own local government, now US President Donald Trump has argued that the district – which includes the White House and the Capitol, and the headquarters of many government agencies – should be taken over by the federal government,

While the 1973 Home Rule Act granted DC the authority to govern itself, Congress retains the power to review, veto, and intervene in local legislation, as well as control the district’s budget.

Trump’s recent statements advocating federal control have reignited debate over DC’s autonomy, even as local activists for years have pushed for full statehood.

Path to home rule

Calls for local governance in Washington, DC arose from several key factors.

As a federal district, DC is not part of any state, in accordance with Article 1, Section 8, Clause 17 of the US Constitution, which aims to maintain federal neutrality.

Despite paying federal taxes, DC residents lack Senate representation and have only a non-voting delegate in the House of Representatives – bringing to mind American colonists’ complaint before the Revolutionary War that rule by the British crown amounted to “taxation without representation.”

Before 1973, the district was governed by federally appointed officials. The push for democratic representation, along with demands from civil rights movement activists highlighting racial and political exclusion, accelerated the push for home rule.

Many activists viewed the lack of self-governance as an example of systemic racial injustice, given the city's predominantly Black population. Washington, DC has more residents than at least two US states (Vermont and Wyoming) and populations roughly on par with several others.

13-member DC Council

In response to these demands, in 1973, Republican President Richard Nixon signed the District of Columbia Home Rule Act into law.

The law established the DC Council as the city's legislative body, consisting of 13 members: a chairperson elected at large, four at-large members, and eight representatives from the city's wards.

- Trump: Federal government should take over DC

For years, some Republicans have opposed the Home Rule Act, arguing that it allows for policies misaligned with federal interests and undermines congressional authority over the capital. Republicans, including Trump, have also openly mentioned the district’s heavily Democratic voter base, and how statehood could tip the balance in Congress in the Democrats’ favor.

Trump has been one of the most vocal critics, firmly rejecting DC statehood in a 2020 Fox News interview, saying: "DC will never be a state. You mean District of Columbia, a state? Why? So we can have two more Democratic – Democrat senators and five more congressmen? No, thank you. That’ll never happen."

Beyond opposing statehood, Trump has also called for the federal government to take full control of the district.

Citing crime and homelessness, he also blamed DC Mayor Muriel Bowser for failing to govern effectively.

"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 utilized properly."

During his first term as president, in 2017-2021, Trump took steps to limit DC’s autonomy, notably deploying federal law enforcement and military police in the city during the June 2020 protests following George Floyd’s killing – without the mayor’s approval.