Democrats call Trump’s DC police takeover ‘a distraction’ from Epstein, tariffs and tax bill
Leading Democrats are lambasting Donald Trump’s decision to federalise the DC Metropolitan police department (MPD) and deployment of 800 National Guard troops to the city.
Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer wrote on X that Trump’s actions are a “political ploy” and an “attempted distraction” from the president’s “other scandals”, seemingly referring to the ongoing Epstein files saga that plagues the administration.
Schumer went on to write:
If he actually cared about the people of DC, he’d demand the House finally release the billion dollars of DC’s funding they’ve been sitting on for months.
Meanwhile, speaker emerita Nancy Pelosi offered a similar criticism, but also citing the president’s inaction during the January 6 attack.
Donald Trump delayed deploying the National Guard on January 6th when our Capitol was under violent attack and lives were at stake. Now, he’s activating the DC Guard to distract from his incompetent mishandling of tariffs, health care, education and immigration — just to name a few blunders.
Illinois governor JB Pritzker, who has frequently been the subject of Trump’s ire (the president even repeatedly referred to Pritzker as “incompetent” during yesterday’s press conference), snapped back on social media. He wrote that Donald Trump has “no authority to take over Chicago” and even goaded the president: “By the way, where are the Epstein files?”
Other leading voices in the party like Pete Buttigieg – former transportation secretary – doubled down in a video posted online. Buttigieg said that Trump was only taking over the police department “to solve his own political problems” and get his base “thinking and talking about something other than his refusal to open up the Epstein files, because he’s mixed up in them”.
Key events
Trump administration says George Washington University violated law over Jewish students and faculty
Elsewhere in DC, the Trump administration has said it has found George Washington University had violated federal civil rights law regarding Jewish, American-Israeli and Israeli students and faculty and will seek “immediate remediation” from the school.
In a statement, the US Department of Justice said GWU had acted “deliberately indifferent to the hostile educational environment for Jewish, American-Israeli, and Israeli students and faculty”. Representatives for the university could not be immediately reached for comment.
As my colleague Alice Speri reported last week, the White House is reportedly negotiating with several other universities over similar claims, with about 60 institutions, including Columbia, Harvard and Brown, under investigation over alleged antisemitism. Several have had federal funding cut or threatened.
DC Mayor meets with attorney general Bondi
Mayor Muriel Bowser is now meeting with attorney general Pam Bondi at the justice department headquarters, a DC official confirms to the Guardian.
Bowser noted in her press conference yesterday that her office intends to comply with federal law enforcement, as Bondi will now oversee the DC police for the next 30 days.
National guard arrives in DC
David Smith
National guard troops began to arrive at their headquarters in Washington DC on Tuesday as Democratic mayors warned Donald Trump against expanding his law and order power grab in other major cities.
The US president announced on Monday that he was sending the national guard into the nation’s capital and putting city police under federal control, even though the violent crime rate is at a 30-year low.
Stephen Miller, an influential White House deputy chief of staff, stepped up the rhetoric on Tuesday, tweeting without evidence: “Crime stats in big blue cities are fake. The real rates of crime, chaos & dysfunction are orders of magnitude higher. Everyone who lives in these areas knows this. They program their entire lives around it. Democrats are trying to unravel civilization. Pres Trump will save it.”
Trump took command of the Washington DC police department and deployed the national guard under laws and constitutional powers that give the federal government more sway over the nation’s capital than other cities. But Democrats raised concerns that Washington DC could be a blueprint for similar strongarm tactics elsewhere.
We’re getting an update that Stephen Miran – Donald Trump’s nomination for the vacant seat on the Federal Reserve board – arrived at the White House. It also looks like he appeared on CNBC as short while ago.
This comes as the Bureau of Labor Statistics released the latest Consumer Price Index report earlier today. In Miran’s interview he said that there “continues to be no evidence whatsoever of tariff-induced inflation”.
The latest numbers show that core inflation, which excludes the volatile energy and food industries, went up 3.1% over the last month – a higher pace than what was seen in June.
Patrick Wintour
European Union leaders made a rallying call to defend Ukraine’s freedom to decide its own future in advance of their virtual summit with Donald Trump.
With the exception of Hungary, all EU leaders signed a joint statement, with Kaja Kallas, the EU foreign policy chief, also calling for the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to attend the Trump-Putin summit in Alaska on Friday.
Trump insists his meeting with Putin is a “feel-out” to gauge the Russian leader’s willingness to compromise, but European leaders fear Trump will be lured into a joint declaration with Moscow that involves irretrievable concessions before substantive talks between Ukraine and Russia.
The EU leaders said: “Meaningful negotiations can only take place in the context of a ceasefire or reduction of hostilities,” adding: “We share the conviction that a diplomatic solution must protect Ukraine’s and Europe’s vital security interests.
“A Ukraine capable of defending itself effectively is an integral part of any future security guarantees.” They added that EU nations were ready to contribute further to security guarantees.
Our colleagues are bringing you the latest developments here
As Donald Trump begins his federal takeover of DC police, and deploys National Guard troops, among some of the most ardent members of the president’s base, this move is both a long-time coming and an opening to renew the push to repeal the DC Home Rule Act of 1973.
One lawmaker who has been particularly vocal is Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah. On Monday, Lee posted a video on X pushing his legislation that would strip DC of it’s limited powers of self-governance, and for Congress to reassume complete control of the city. Online, Lee has wasted no time espousing how the BOWSER Act – a bill he introduced earlier this year – will grant Americans a “capital city that they can be proud of, not one that they’re afraid of”.
This effort is, however, unlikely to move forward. It would need 60 votes in the Senate, and require several Democrats to pass.
Trump responds to inflation data: ‘Powell must lower the rate’
Donald Trump has posted on Truth Social following the release of the Consumer Price Index report, which shows an increase in prices throughout the US.
“Jerome ‘Too Late’ Powell must NOW lower the rate,” Trump wrote. “The damage he has done by always being Too Late is incalculable. Fortunately, the economy is sooo good that we’ve blown through Powell and the complacent Board”.
Trump added that he was considering allowing a lawsuit – focused on Powell’s renovation of the fed’s headquarters– to proceed. “Three Billion Dollars for a job that should have been a $50 Million Dollar fix up. Not good!,” the president said.
Michael Sainato
A newly appointed official at the US Department of Labor hired by the Trump administration has a recent history of racist, sexually graphic, and conspiratorial posts on social media.
Jessico Bowman announced last week that she was appointed deputy chief of staff of the Bureau of International Labor Affairs at the labor department. According to the bureau’s website, its job is to lead “the US Department of Labor’s efforts to ensure that workers around the world are treated fairly and are able to share in the benefits of the global economy”.
Bowman has deleted her account on X and Facebook accounts since announcing her hiring.
In posts seen by the Guardian, Bowman falsely claimed on X in June 2024 that the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol was “a Democrat plot”, adding: “there was a war game simulation and a transition integrity project that planned this out. They thought Trump would win. They stole the election and then created violence and gas lit, jailed us, without due process, and or financially drained us into a silent acceptance.”
Bowman had previously worked as national secretary for the Republican Liberty Caucus, a libertarian-leaning political action organization.
Her posts include several sexually graphic posts about Kamala Harris during the 2024 election, including claiming Harris had “hawk tuah experience” and “hawk tuah’d her way to the White House”, tying the presidential candidate to a viral video referencing oral sex.
Read more about the new Trump labor official’s social media history here
House Oversight Committee to hold hearing with DC mayor and attorney general in September
The House Oversight Committee – which is one of two congressional committees that oversees the legislative functions of DC – will hold a hearing in September with DC mayor Muriel Bowser, DC attorney general Brian Schwalb, and council chair Phil Mendelson. That’s according to a statement from chairman James Comer, a Republican congressman from Kentucky.
Comer praised Donald Trump’s “bold and necessary action to crack down on crime and restore law and order” in the nation’s capital.
This hearing would likely come towards the end of the 30-day period, where the DC police are under federal control. In order to extend the president’s takeover, a joint resolution in Congress is required.
Latest inflation data shows slight increase
The Consumer Price Index for July was 2.7 percent, which is a little lower than the 2.8 percent forecast. It’s a 0.2 percent increase from June.
However, “Core” inflation – which leaves out volatile goods like food and energy to track how prices are increasing – rose by 0.3 percent. This marks a 3.1 percent increase over the course of a year.
The report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics suggests that some tariff-related costs are being passed on to consumers, as Americans start to feel their effects.
Democrats call Trump’s DC police takeover ‘a distraction’ from Epstein, tariffs and tax bill
Leading Democrats are lambasting Donald Trump’s decision to federalise the DC Metropolitan police department (MPD) and deployment of 800 National Guard troops to the city.
Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer wrote on X that Trump’s actions are a “political ploy” and an “attempted distraction” from the president’s “other scandals”, seemingly referring to the ongoing Epstein files saga that plagues the administration.
Schumer went on to write:
If he actually cared about the people of DC, he’d demand the House finally release the billion dollars of DC’s funding they’ve been sitting on for months.
Meanwhile, speaker emerita Nancy Pelosi offered a similar criticism, but also citing the president’s inaction during the January 6 attack.
Donald Trump delayed deploying the National Guard on January 6th when our Capitol was under violent attack and lives were at stake. Now, he’s activating the DC Guard to distract from his incompetent mishandling of tariffs, health care, education and immigration — just to name a few blunders.
Illinois governor JB Pritzker, who has frequently been the subject of Trump’s ire (the president even repeatedly referred to Pritzker as “incompetent” during yesterday’s press conference), snapped back on social media. He wrote that Donald Trump has “no authority to take over Chicago” and even goaded the president: “By the way, where are the Epstein files?”
Other leading voices in the party like Pete Buttigieg – former transportation secretary – doubled down in a video posted online. Buttigieg said that Trump was only taking over the police department “to solve his own political problems” and get his base “thinking and talking about something other than his refusal to open up the Epstein files, because he’s mixed up in them”.
