Editorial: Washington, D.T.?
By • August 12, 2025 0 269
And you thought August would be mellow. A political earthquake hit Washington, D.C., Aug. 11. President Donald Trump announced Monday that he is deploying the National Guard and federalizing the Metropolitan Police Department to crack down on crime.
The unprecedented actions are the biggest curtailment of Home Rule since the D.C. Control Board in the 1990s. We should have known better — because it has been all preordained.
In the fall of 1998, Trump and several of his family members attended a Larry King Cardiac Foundation gala at the Georgetown Four Seasons Hotel. The Georgetowner covered this social event that was, in hindsight, powerfully prophetic. Trump received the Larry King Heart Award. While King was front and center, it was awardee Trump who got the most attention, of course. At his table were his future wife, Melania, and his mother, Mary Anne, along with his two sisters and brother.
The evening’s kicker was the parody CNN newscast. On video, Wolf Blitzer announced that Trump had purchased Washington, D.C., which would be renamed “Washington, D.T.” Under the new ownership, the White House was to become a club and casino and a revolving restaurant would be added atop the U.S. Capitol rotunda. The Supreme Court would become known as the Trump Court. The mock graphics depicted it all on screen unwittingly predicting today’s political climate. Who’s laughing now?
Said a subdued Mayor Muriel Bowser a few hours after the Aug. 11 White House press conference: “While this action today is unsettling and unprecedented, I can’t say that given some of the rhetoric of the past, that we’re totally surprised.” … “My message to residents is this: We know that access to our democracy is tenuous. That is why you have heard me and many Washingtonians before me advocate for full statehood.”
D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb offered, “We are considering all of our options and will do what is necessary to protect the rights and safety of District residents.”
The Georgetowner believes that the president has over-reacted. D.C. crime stats are improving. Yes, increase the amount of officers in the Metropolitan Police Department by at least 400 — but don’t take it over.
And when was Trump last out and about in the city? We invite the president to dine at Martin’s Tavern or any of the restaurants across Washington. Oh, yeah, that’ll be the day.
