President Donald Trump has deployed U.S. National Guard troops on the streets of Washington, D.C. According to the president and his allies, this move had to happen, as D.C. has become too violent. Of course, not everyone is on the same page, and Washington D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser has called Trump’s takeover an “authoritarian push.”
For every Republican who is praising Trump’s move, there is a Democrat who is calling it extreme. It is an extreme move, especially as crime in D.C. has gone down this year to new lows. As eerie as Trump’s takeover is, there is one aspect of it that isn’t being discussed enough.
Corporate lobbyists have encouraged Trump to do this. For months now, these lobbyists have inaccurately claimed that small businesses are hurting in D.C. because of rampant crime. Using their outrage, Trump has done what nobody thought he would: he’s taken over Washington, D.C., with promises to do so in other cities he thinks are spiraling out of control.
How Big Businesses Helped Trump Take Over D.C.
Earlier this year, the American Investment Council released a letter that called for “immediate action” on what they saw as an “alarming increase” in crime in Washington, D.C. This letter was addressed to city leaders. Though it appeared as if the letter was from small business owners struggling because of crime in the city, this wasn’t the reality.
The American Investment Council is a private equity lobbying shop. Instead of speaking for small businesses, this council works for trade groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Airlines for America, and the National Retail Federation. The Council speaks less for your local grocery store, more for Walmart and Target.
The Council’s goal? To push their own agenda in D.C. Alongside far-right groups, these corporate lobbyists pushed the Trump administration to take over the city, halt criminal justice reform that city lawmakers pushed for, and put boots on the ground to instill fear in the residents of D.C.
Trump Gets More Authoritarian By the Day
Since Trump entered the White House for his second term, critics have accused him of being more authoritarian than ever before. His takeover of Washington, D.C. is, perhaps, his most authoritarian move yet.
Even worse, Trump has threatened that other cities around the country will also soon have National Guard troops stationed there to fight crime. It doesn’t matter that many of these cities have seen a drop in violent crime.
Washington, D.C. has faced a 26% drop in overall violent crime this year when compared to 2024. Even with these facts, Trump has claimed the city is out of control — and that other cities need to be taken over, too.
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