Democratic socialist pushes agenda in Washington, DC
Janese Lewis George, a prominent Democratic Socialist, is poised to become Washington D.C.’s next mayor, advocating for a far-left policy agenda. Her platform includes ending police cooperation with ICE, opposing youth curfews, implementing free buses, and promoting universal childcare. President Trump expressed concerns, while Senator Tim Kaine warns against federal intervention in the city.
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President Donald Trump on Sunday called Washington, D.C., council member Janeese Lewis George a “communist” and vowed to block policies he said would undermine public safety and reverse his administration’s efforts to reduce crime in the nation’s capital.
In a lengthy post on Truth Social, Trump said he plans to meet with Lewis George and argued Washington has become safer under his administration. He also pledged to oppose any agenda he said would weaken immigration enforcement, policing or the city’s criminal justice system.
“Janeese Lewis George, the Communist who is almost certainly going to be elected Mayor of Washington, D.C., has stated that she wants to empty the prisons, make D.C. a Sanctuary City, oppose ICE, welcome Criminal Illegal Aliens back into our beloved Capital, resist Anti-Crime Crackdowns, Defund the Police, continue and expand Cashless Bail, and so many other Capital destroying ‘things,’” the president wrote on Truth Social.
SOCIALIST POISED TO LEAD DC AFTER DEM PRIMARY VICTORY, SETTING STAGE FOR CLASHES WITH TRUMP
President Donald Trump and D.C. Council member Janeese Lewis George are shown in a split image. Trump criticized Lewis George in a Truth Social post over her policies and her bid to become Washington’s next mayor. (Paul Morigi/Getty Images for SPACEs in Action; Salwan Georges/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“In the end, it will never work out, nor will I let it even have a chance because I have worked too hard to make Washington, D.C., the Envy of the World, with almost No Crime, and a Beautification process that has been second to none,” Trump continued. “I will meet with Janeese Lewis George, but must forewarn everyone that Washington, D.C., is again a Safe and Prestigious Community.
“Many people, including myself, have worked long and hard to get it there, and we will not let it be destroyed by a Communist adherent who has no intention to, MAKE WASHINGTON GREAT AGAIN!” he added.
Lewis George, a self-described Democratic socialist and member of the District of Columbia Council, defeated Kenyan McDuffie and five other candidates in the Democratic mayoral primary earlier this month, positioning her to succeed Mayor Muriel Bowser in a city where Democrats overwhelmingly dominate general elections.
SOCIALIST POISED TO LEAD DC AFTER DEM PRIMARY VICTORY, SETTING STAGE FOR CLASHES WITH TRUMP
Councilmember Janeese Lewis George (D-Ward 4) is seen during a city council meeting in Washington, DC on February 7, 2023 (Craig Hudson for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Her primary victory sets the stage for a likely clash with Trump, who has made reducing crime in Washington and reshaping the nation’s capital a central focus of his second term. The president has maintained a National Guard presence in the city and has repeatedly threatened to end the District’s home rule if he believes local leaders fail to keep crime under control.
Lewis George has sharply criticized Trump’s deployment of the National Guard and expanded federal law enforcement presence in Washington. Following the president’s decision to deploy the Guard last year, she called the move “a direct attack” on the city’s residents and accused Trump of weaponizing the Home Rule Act.
During the mayoral campaign, Lewis George argued that “federal troops” and “masked ICE agents” posed a greater threat to young Washington residents than juvenile crime and opposed relying on curfews and federal enforcement, instead advocating expanded youth programs and other community investments.
President Donald Trump pumps his fist after speaking at the Faith & Freedom Coalition’s 2026 Policy Conference at the Washington Hilton in Washington, DC, on June 26, 2026. (Kent NISHIMURA / AFP via Getty Images)
SOCIALIST POISED TO LEAD DC AFTER DEM PRIMARY VICTORY, SETTING STAGE FOR CLASHES WITH TRUMP
Trump has previously suggested he would consider placing Washington under greater federal control if Lewis George were elected mayor.
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“I wouldn’t like it — and maybe we take back Washington, run it on the federal basis,” Trump told reporters earlier this month. “We won’t put up with it. We’re not going to lose our businesses.”
Fox News Digital’s Peter D’Abrosca contributed to this report.
