After Janeese Lewis George defeated Kenyan McDuffie in D.C.’s Democratic primary, President Donald Trump warned he wouldn’t “put up with it” if a Democratic socialist won and floated running Washington “on the federal basis.” Lewis George responded that D.C. v
A few days before Washington, D.C.’s Democratic primary, Donald Trump drew a hard line: if a Democratic socialist won, he said he wouldn’t “put up with it.” He framed it as a fight over who really runs the nation’s capital—local voters or the federal government.
Janeese Lewis George. now poised to become the next mayor after beating Kenyan McDuffie and several other mayoral hopefuls. has responded with an equally direct counterpunch. Her campaign message has been about defending Home Rule and DC autonomy—while making clear she won’t slam the door on federal cooperation if it produces tangible gains for residents.
Trump’s warning came days before the last week’s Democratic primary, when he told reporters he wouldn’t “put up with it” if a Democratic socialist were to win. “I wouldn’t like it — and maybe we’ll take back Washington, run it on the federal basis,” Trump warned.
In a social media video. Lewis George pushed back on the premise that Trump’s approval is part of the equation. “Look, we’re not going to get ICE off our streets by fearing this president,” she said. “We’re not going to protect our rights or Home Rule by complying in advance. Threatening Home Rule because you do not like how residents vote is an attack on democracy itself.”.
Home Rule is the system enacted in 1973 that allows D.C. residents to elect a mayor and city council, while Congress retains ultimate authority over the city’s laws and spending. For Lewis George, that distinction is more than policy—it’s a boundary line the federal government should not cross.
Her stance arrives after Trump previously moved to increase federal leverage in D.C. In 2025. he declared a crime emergency in Washington. D.C. even as fact checkers called his claims of “rampant crime” exaggerated. He allowed a 30-day federal takeover of the city’s police department and more recently has begun to makeover iconic parts of the city.
Lewis George said late last week she has not heard from the Trump administration since winning the primary. Speaking to WUSA, she said she will not reach out to the White House while Mayor Muriel Bowser remains in office.
The question now is how far that confrontation will travel once she’s in City Hall. Lewis George has left room for collaboration, but she has also drawn clear limits.
“We gotta find ways that we can find agreement,” she told Axios. “We are people who are about growth.”
Still, she said she would not cooperate with ICE in a way that harms residents. “DC autonomy and DC statehood are non-negotiables. our immigrant community and neighbors. our Black youth are non-negotiables. ” Lewis George said in an interview earlier this month. “But if there are things you want to work with together, I’m happy to do that.”.
That mix—resistance on major federal pressure points. openness on practical local needs—echoes the broader political dynamic playing out in other cities. In New York City. socialist mayor Zohran Mamdani has challenged Trump’s agenda while still looking for ways to work with the administration when necessary.
Joseph Geevarghese, executive director of the Bernie Sanders-founded Our Revolution—which endorsed Lewis George—previously told USA Today that candidates like Janeese Lewis George and Zohran Mamdani are winning because they are the only ones willing to “name it and fight it.”
For D.C. voters. the stakes are immediate: the next mayoral term is likely to begin under a level of federal scrutiny that Lewis George says she won’t accept as a replacement for local self-government. For the Trump White House. the tone is already set—one side warning it will seek a greater federal role. the other insisting that threats to Home Rule aren’t a negotiation point.
An analytical thread connects these moments in a way that’s hard to miss. Trump’s approach has combined public warnings. federal intrusion on policing. and visible changes to parts of the city. while Lewis George’s response has centered on keeping D.C. authority intact and refusing to pre-comply with policies she says endanger residents—without ruling out cooperation that supports “growth” and benefits the city.
Janeese Lewis George Donald Trump Washington DC mayor Home Rule federal takeover ICE Muriel Bowser Kenyan McDuffie D.C. autonomy politics