Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) accused President Trump of a “raw authoritarian power grab” after the president moved to federalize the District of Columbia’s police department and call the National Guard to the District’s streets.
“He’s playing dictator in our nation’s capital as a dress rehearsal as he pushes democracy to the brink,” Van Hollen wrote on social platform X.
“And by the way, Trump couldn’t care less about safety in DC or the people of DC. If he did, he wouldn’t have blocked DC from spending $1 billion of its OWN money to fund its OWN police department, schools and more,” the Maryland senator added, referring to a government funding bill that blocked the District from spending already-appropriated funds. “This is flatly about testing the limits of his power.”
Trump’s move drew swift backlash from local leaders and other Democratic elected officials, who said he was infringing on the District’s autonomy.
His deployment of troops to combat criminal activity — at levels the president has characterized as far worse than what local leaders maintain and what police data suggests — mirrors his immigration crackdown in Los Angeles in June. Trump deployed Marines and National Guard troops to the scene to quell immigration riots, triggering a flurry of lawsuits.
A California court began hearing arguments Monday on whether it was legal for Trump to use military troops as civilian law enforcement.
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