Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has publicly criticized President Donald Trump's executive order to federalize the District's Metropolitan Police Department, describing the move as "unsettling and unprecedented." Bowser expressed that while the action is surprising, it was not entirely unexpected given previous rhetoric from the Trump administration. She characterized the deployment of National Guard troops to take over the police department as an "intrusion on our autonomy" and committed to working daily to prevent the situation from becoming a "complete disaster." The response from local Black leaders has been one of feeling under siege following the federal takeover. Despite the tension, some analysts note that the relationship between the Trump administration and Mayor Bowser is not as adversarial as might be assumed. Reactions from Democrats to the federalization have been described as unconvincing by some commentators.