LEILA FADEL, HOST:
When Donald Trump returns to the White House next year, he'll move back to a city where most people didn't vote for him. The nation's capital is a largely Democratic city of nearly 700,000 people, and that city doesn't have a lot of power over its own governance. Trump has vowed to, quote, "renovate and rebuild" the district when he comes back. What could that mean? Our colleague, Michel Martin, asked two journalists steeped in D.C. affairs, Kojo Nnamdi and Tom Sherwood. They host "The Politics Hour" on member station WAMU.
MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Kojo, Tom, thank you so much for joining us.
TOM SHERWOOD, BYLINE: Thank you.
KOJO NNAMDI, BYLINE: You're welcome.
MARTIN: Could we just set the table here and just describe the governance of D.C?
SHERWOOD: Well, the District of Columbia government is the most un-American government in America. The Constitution gives the Congress full legislative authority over the district. And in the early '70s, the Congress gave the district limited home rule, where it could elect a mayor and 13-member council. But everything the district does is subject to repeal or rejection by the Congress or even the president.
MARTIN: Kojo.
NNAMDI: Democrats have been generally fairly friendly and open to the city running its own affairs, Republicans less so.
MARTIN: And now, as we see, Republicans hold the White House, the Senate and the House. What are some of the things that could be on offer?
NNAMDI: Donald Trump has spent a great deal of time talking about how unruly life is in the District of Columbia and how he intends to do something about that. He apparently would like to recraft the District of Columbia in his own image, and crime is one - it would appear is one of the elements that he's going to be able to use to do that because he has within his power to bring the District of Columbia National Guard into the equation, so to speak.
MARTIN: Well, how would that work? I mean, he would have control over the D.C. National Guard.
SHERWOOD: Under the limited home rule, there's a provision that allows the president, with a stroke of a pen, to take over the D.C. Police Department for at least 48 hours and then longer if the House and Senate agree.
MARTIN: Wait a minute. He could take over the D.C. Police Department. Could he do that by executive order?
SHERWOOD: Yes, according to the Home Rule Act that says in an emergency, the president of the United States can direct the mayor of the District of Columbia to have the police do whatever the president wants. And they can do that for 48 hours. He's criticized urban governments from New York to San Francisco. But the District of Columbia is the only place where he has a direct hand in what he can do on crime fighting. But there's another one bigger than crime even.
MARTIN: What is that?
SHERWOOD: The district has no restrictions on abortion. So the president has said he will not seek a national ban on abortion. But in the District of Columbia, the Congress under the Republicans and the president can ban abortion.
NNAMDI: But you did not mention that there was a congressman who has introduced a bill, who has written a bill. It's just one line that would eliminate home rule in the District of Columbia...
SHERWOOD: Yes.
NNAMDI: ...Completely.
MARTIN: Are you serious?
NNAMDI: Yes.
MARTIN: So could Congress by legislation eliminate home rule in addition?
NNAMDI: Yes. Yes.
MARTIN: They could do that.
NNAMDI: They can.
MARTIN: Why would they want to do that?
NNAMDI: Because they feel that the District of Columbia government is too left, too liberal and it needs to be more conservative. The filibuster in the Senate may prevent it from happening, but it is something that can definitely be legislative.
MARTIN: The mayor, Muriel Bowser, was the mayor during Trump's first term. She remains the mayor. What is her relationship with Trump?
NNAMDI: A lot of people will remember symbolically that during Trump's first term, the mayor created what's known as Black Lives Matter Plaza, which was apparently intended not only to support the Black Lives Matter movement but to indicate that we, the citizens of the District of Columbia, still run this city. And a part of it was probably to annoy Trump. But Mayor Bowser has essentially said that she is going to work with the incoming administration around the issues of D.C., and that's entirely possible. But she's likely to be running into a hostile administration.
MARTIN: That is Kojo Nnamdi and Tom Sherwood. They are longtime journalists based in Washington, D.C. They co-host "The Politics Hour," which is produced by WAMU. Kojo, Tom, thank you so much for being here.
SHERWOOD: Thank you.
NNAMDI: You're welcome, Michel.
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