Trump tells DC mayor she must clean homeless encampments in the city

President Trump on Wednesday told Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser that she must clean homeless encampments in the city.

“We have notified the Mayor of Washington, D.C., that she must clean up all of the unsightly homeless encampments in the City, specifically including the ones outside of the State Department, and near the White House,” the president said in a post on Truth Social.

“If she is not capable of doing so, we will be forced to do it for her! Washington, D.C. must become CLEAN and SAFE! We want to be proud of our Great Capital again,” he added. “Thank you Mayor Bowser for your efforts on behalf of the Citizens of our Country. Hopefully you will be successful!”

In December, Bowser said she and the then-president-elect had a “great meeting” in a post on the social platform X.

“Today, President Trump and I had a great meeting to discuss our shared priorities for the President’s second term,” Bowser said in a statement. “President Trump and I both want Washington, DC to be the best, most beautiful city in the world and we want the capital city to reflect the strength of our nation.”

The president and the mayor of the nation’s capital have had a historically on-and-off relationship, with Trump referring to Bowser as incompetent following her withdrawing military personnel and federal law enforcement from the 2020 George Floyd protests in Washington.

On Tuesday, a statement was issued by Bowser implying that Washington could possibly paint over the Black Lives Matter plaza close to the White House.

“The mural inspired millions of people and helped our city through a very painful period, but now we can’t afford to be distracted by meaningless congressional interference,” Bowser said on X.

The comments from the mayor came a day after Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) introduced a measure looking to hold back funds from Washington if the plaza’s name is not changed to “Liberty Plaza.”

Last month, Trump said “the governance” of the nation’s capital should be acquired by the federal government.

“I think that we should govern the District of Columbia,” Trump said to reporters at the time. “I think that we should run it strong, run it with law and order, make it absolutely flawless.”

The Hill has reached out to the Washington, D.C., government for comment.