Anyone who tells you Donald Trump’s latest invasion of Washington, D.C.
͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­
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Trump’s DC Invasion is a Preview of His Authoritarian Vision

The Feed
Aug 16
 
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Anyone who tells you Donald Trump’s latest invasion of Washington, D.C. is about “public safety” or “restoring order” is either lying or terminally naïve. This so-called crime crackdown—with 800 National Guard troops patrolling our streets, and the local police taken over by decree—is a made-for-TV authoritarian flex, conveniently timed to drift the public eye away from the Epstein files. Time to log on.

Source: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

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Yesterday, the D.C. attorney general sued the Trump Administration for its attempts to take over the D.C. police force. And he won - meaning a court determined that Trump exceeded his authority under D.C.’s Home Rule law (more on this further down). This takeover wasn’t just about bullying a city that voted overwhelmingly against Trump. It was a demonstration of unchecked federal power; a vivid test run for what he could do to any city in America, should he decide its politics, or its people, displease him. And it exposed exactly why D.C. statehood isn’t some trivial cause for “local liberals.” It’s a national emergency.

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Why Is D.C. So Vulnerable?

Washington, D.C., is not a state. It has no governor and no voting representation in Congress. Its budget and laws (even the right to conduct basic local affairs!) are subject to federal veto. Residents pay federal taxes (our license plates even say “Taxation Without Representation”), yet Congress, not our elected City Council, ultimately controls our fate.

The so-called Home Rule Act of 1973 was supposed to give D.C. residents a taste of democracy, granting us the illusion of self-governance. But in emergencies (or apparently whenever it pleases) the President can seize direct control of D.C.’s police, deploy federal troops, and steamroll local leaders. For up to 30 days, he needs only to notify Congress; drawing it out is just a matter of political arm-twisting. No other American city is so exposed to presidential overreach.

So when Trump claimed an “out-of-control crime wave” (even as D.C.’s crime has actually fallen this year), he wasn’t just scapegoating the capital. He was exploiting a loophole that treats its 700,000 residents like political guinea pigs, ripe for abuse.

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Laboratory of Authoritarianism And a Warning to the Nation

Don’t be fooled: D.C. is Trump’s sandbox. He’s floated expanding this “model” to blue cities like Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles, but federal law blocks him from doing so elsewhere. In D.C., he could test how far he can go, how much outrage the public will tolerate, and how much force he can marshal before anyone pushes back.

If you think this begins and ends in D.C., ask yourself: Do you want your city to be the next “laboratory” for whatever the White House dreams up in the middle of the night?

Why D.C. Statehood Threatens the GOP and Offers Hope for America

The cruel joke is this: if D.C. were a state, Trump wouldn’t even try this. D.C.’s governor would control the National Guard. Its senators would have a vote when Congress tries to rubber-stamp “emergency” powers. And yes, those two new senators would almost certainly be Democrats, finally giving the residents who fill federal coffers some real say in their destiny.

That’s why Republicans fight D.C. statehood tooth and nail. They know it would tip the scales in Congress, potentially ending decades of minority rule and obstruction. With two more Democratic senators, imagine what’s possible:

  • Real progress on gun reform.

  • Pathways to universal health care.

  • Nationwide voting rights protection.

  • Protection for reproductive freedoms.

  • Climate action that matches the urgency of this moment.

Statehood isn’t just a D.C. issue. It’s a fight for the soul of American democracy. The GOP’s refusal to grant D.C. the rights every other American takes for granted is as much about maintaining their own grip on power as it is about disrespecting this city.

Add your name to demand the Senate pass statehood for D.C. ASAP!

Why You Should Care, Even If You Don’t Live Here

If you shrug off what’s happened in D.C.—the spectacle, the scapegoating, the erosion of local democracy—don’t be surprised when it comes for your city next. The 700,000 residents of Washington (more than Vermont or Wyoming!), overwhelmingly Black and brown, pay taxes and serve in the military but have no real voice in their own affairs.

What happens in Washington, in the President’s “test kitchen,” is a preview for the entire country. Today it’s Trump in D.C. Tomorrow, it could be anywhere else the White House wants to send armed troops and claim “public safety” as cover.

The Bottom Line

Trump’s hostile takeover of the capital is a PR stunt, a calculated power grab for cable news and a warning shot aimed at the heart of American self-government. If you care about democracy, you need to care about D.C. statehood. Because if Washington can be crushed at the President’s whim, nowhere in America is truly safe.

The road to a freer, fairer United States runs through D.C. statehood. Don’t let Trump’s showmanship distract you. The fight for democracy starts here, and it belongs to all of us.


Are you in the D.C. area today? Join this rally:

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P.S. Texas Democrats make defiant stand against GOP power grab

Rather than sit back and let the GOP redraw the maps to give themselves an unfair advantage in the 2026 midterms, Texas state Democrats have pulled out all the stops to derail this flagrant Republican power grab. They left the state to deny the GOP the quorum they need to pass the maps, and they are ready to do it again. These Democrats are laying it all on the line, risking arrest and racking up enormous fines in defense of our democracy. Will you chip in to help us fight back against this GOP power grab?

Donate now!


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