Washington Mayor Bowser Reports Great Meeting With Trump Ahead of Inauguration

Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser speaks at a news conference in Washington, on March 15, 2021. Andrew Harnik/AP Photo

The mayor of the District of Columbia said on Monday that she had a “great meeting” with President-elect Donald Trump discussing his upcoming term in office.

“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,” Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said in a statement released by the city, adding they discussed a range of issues such as how to coordinate the federal workforce and how to optimize underused federal buildings.

“I am optimistic that we will continue to find common ground with the President during his second term, and we look forward to supporting a successful inauguration on January 20.”

The two, she added, specifically had “discussed areas for collaboration between local and federal government, especially around our federal workforce, underutilized federal buildings, parks and green spaces, and infrastructure.”

Bowser, a Democrat, did not provide other details about what they had spoken about. Neither the president-elect nor the Trump team have publicly confirmed that he and Bowser met.

Days before the 2024 election on Nov. 5, Trump promised to revitalize U.S. cities, including Washington, and said he would attempt to initiate efforts to reduce crime.

“We will rebuild our cities, including our capital in Washington, D.C., which has become a very dangerous and badly managed place. We’re going to make them safe, clean, and beautiful again. We will teach our children to love our country, to honor our history, and to always respect our great American flag,” Trump told a rally at New York City’s Madison Square Garden in late October.

Meanwhile, Bowser’s statement on Monday appears to represent a change in tone during their previously contentious relationship, which came to a peak in 2020 amid widespread riots and protests that were sparked by the death of George Floyd.

Four years ago, Bowser declared that a section of the street leading to the White House would be recognized by the District of Columbia as “Black Lives Matter Plaza” after it was spray-painted by activists in the midst of the protests.

They also publicly criticized one another over how law enforcement would be used to deal with the riots and protests in Washington. At one point in the summer of 2020, rioters attempted to tear down a statue of former President Andrew Jackson near the White House, while a fire was also set at the city’s historic St. John’s Church during protests and riots.

On June 1, Trump, holding a bible, appeared alongside a contingent of law enforcement officers at the church’s parish house, which had been defaced by graffiti

Multiple major events are to be held in Washington in the coming weeks, including the swearing-in of the new Congress on Jan. 3 and the certification of the November presidential results on Jan. 6. Two weeks after that, Trump is scheduled to be inaugurated as president in Washington on Jan. 20.

On Jan. 9, federal agencies will be shut down to mourn the death of Jimmy Carter, the 39th U.S. president, who died on Sunday at the age of 100. President Joe Biden made the declaration for a national day of mourning earlier this week.