We have tremendous power: Trump eyes taking over governance of Washington, DC

US President Donald Trump said his administration is thinking about taking over the management of Washington, DC. Trump made these remarks during a cabinet meeting at the White House on Tuesday, saying his team is keeping a close watch on how the city is being run, particularly when it comes to crime.

"We have tremendous power at the White House to run places when we have to. We could run DC. I mean, we're looking at DC," Trump said.

"We don't want crime in DC. We want the city to run well. Susie Wiles is working very closely with the mayor, and they're doing all right. I mean, in the sense that we would run it so good, it would be run so proper, we'd get the best person to run it. The crime would be down to a minimal. It would be much less," he added.

He also said although Mayor Muriel Bowser and Wiles are cooperating, the White House could do a much better job if it took over the city’s governance directly.

TRUMP MAY INTERVENE TO SECURE NEW NFL STADIUM IN DC

This statement comes a day after Trump also expressed interest in stepping in to help the Washington Commanders, the city’s NFL team, if the DC. Council fails to approve a stadium deal.

The team and Mayor Bowser had earlier announced a plan to build a new stadium at the site of the old RFK Stadium. They also set a deadline of July 15 for the DC Council to take action. However, Council Chairman Phil Mendelson removed most of the stadium-related items from the next week’s budget vote. He also said it’s unlikely that the Council will vote on the stadium deal before September.

When Trump was asked if he would help the team if the deal fell through, he responded, "It's a very important piece of property; it's a great piece of property. So, we'll see. But if I can help them out, I will. You know, ultimately, we control that; the federal government ultimately controls it. So, we'll see what happens."

Trump also spoke positively about the team’s owner, Josh Harris. "The owner’s very, very successful and a very good man. I know him a little bit," Trump said. "And it would be a great place for the NFL to be there, I can tell you that. So, if they want to negotiate a little tough, that's OK with me."

In response to Trump’s statements, Mayor Bowser said she is worried about "all forms of political risk," hinting at the uncertainties that could come with federal interference in city matters.

- Ends

With inputs from Reuters

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