John,
Donald Trump is attempting a hostile takeover of the nation’s capital.
Using his emergency powers, he has wrested control from D.C. officials, deployed the National Guard as his personal army, and told police they can “do whatever the hell they want.”1
There are over 700,000 people who call D.C. home — including thousands of Working Families Party members and volunteers. These people deserve to live in peace and safety.
But Donald Trump doesn’t care about keeping our families safe.
If he did, he wouldn’t have defunded D.C. violence prevention programs,2 or pardoned the 1,500 rioters who attacked the Capitol on January 6th.3
If he cared about the wellbeing of D.C. families, he would end the attacks on federal workers, undo his cuts to Medicaid and SNAP, and stop the daily ICE raids that are ripping families apart.
Instead of helping working families, he’s terrorizing them: armored Humvees are patrolling peaceful streets, delivery drivers are being arrested at random, and residents are being interrogated on their own doorsteps. This is what authoritarianism looks like.
These takeovers will not be limited to Los Angeles and D.C. He’s already targeting other major cities by name including New York City, Chicago, Baltimore, and Oakland.4
Now more than ever, we need to be loud, defiant, and engaged.
Whether you live in a major city or a small town, talk with your neighbors. Get involved with local organizations. Attend protests and rallies. Write to your elected officials — urge them not to capitulate to Trump’s bullying and threats.
He is counting on us to be too afraid to challenge him. But America isn’t a monarchy, and Trump isn’t a king.
More soon,
Team WFP
Sources:
1. D.C. Police Put Under Federal Control, Are Now ‘Allowed to Do Whatever the Hell They Want’, Rolling Stone, August 11, 2025
2. DC violence prevention programs at risk after federal funding cuts, WUSA, May 7, 2025
3. Criminal records of Jan. 6 rioters pardoned by Trump include rape, domestic violence, January 30, 2025
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