Is Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser Suddenly Leaning MAGA?
Muriel Bowser and Donald Trump have had their disagreements for years, which is awkward because she's the Mayor of Washington D.C. and Trump has this job in Washington D.C. that he's been doing on and off for nearly a decade.
So, Bowser, a democrat, has done some things in the past that tweaked the sitting President.
Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
2025 Bowser Different From 2020 Bowser
She was critical of Trump's use of federal law enforcement in response to the 2020 protests and riots following George Floyd's death. She also commissioned the painting of a Black Lives Matter mural near the White House, and renamed the area "Black Lives Matter Plaza," which Trump predictably did not adore.
But things have changed lately. Drastically.
So drastically that it's hard to recognize 2025 Muriel Bowser compared to 2020 Muriel Bowser.
That was Bowser collaborating with Trump and the Washington Commanders to get a stadium deal done for the Washington Commanders on the site of the old RFK Stadium.
That was also Bowser weeks later visiting the Oval Office and thanking Trump during the NFL's announcement about holding the draft in Washington in 2027.
Bowser apparently isn't new to visits with Trump. She visited Trump at Mar-a-Lago in late December after the election and before the inauguration.
Muriel Bowser, mayor of the District of Columbia, from left, Josh Harris, co-founder of Apollo Global Management Inc. and co-owner of the NFL's Washington Commanders, and US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Monday, May 5, 2025. Trump announced on Monday that Washington, DC, will be the host city for the 2027 NFL draft. Photographer: Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Bowser Outlines ‘Collaboration’ With Trump
"Today, President Trump and I had a great meeting to discuss our shared priorities for the President’s second term," Bowser said in a statement following that Florida meeting. "President Trump and I both want Washington, DC to be the best, most beautiful city in the world, and we want the capital city to reflect the strength of our nation.
"We discussed areas for collaboration between local and federal government, especially around our federal workforce, underutilized federal buildings, parks and green spaces, and infrastructure."
Jeepers, it's almost like these two people from different backgrounds, different political parties, and vastly different branches of government are working together. And it's because Bowser has moved toward Trump.
The latest example of the shift came this week when Bowser proposed the repeal of the capital's sanctuary city law. The proposal, if codified by the D.C. City Council, would allow local police to assist federal agencies with deportations.
TOPSHOT - Crews begin work to remove the "Black Lives Matter" street mural and plaza in Washington, DC, on March 10, 2025. The mural was created during the 2020 protests following the murder of George Floyd by police officer Derek Chauvin in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP) (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
BLM Plaza Is No More
Bowser is seeking the repeal of the law in a provision that's part of her newly released 2026 budget proposal, Axios reported.
The D.C. City Council has the final say over what makes it into the budget, and some America-last members of that body may thwart Bowser's attempt to go America-first.
But the greater point is obvious.
Bowser has scrapped her 2020 playbook that outlined how to provoke Trump and his administration and is now running a system that gets stuff done that the President likes.
And, sure, there's probably still going to be some disagreements along the way. But consider this:
That BLM mural she commissioned years ago? Bowser ordered it be removed.