JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
Throughout President Trump's unprecedented intervention in Washington, D.C.'s, affairs, Mayor Muriel Bowser has tried to balance opposing Trump with appeasing him. Her approach has angered some in her political base, and as Trump prepares to give up control of the city's police department and turn his attention elsewhere, other Democratic leaders could soon face the same dilemma. Here's WAMU's Alex Koma.
ALEX KOMA, BYLINE: Since Trump won a second term in office, the D.C. mayor has tried to seek common ground with him where she can.
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KOMA: Bowser's ordered the destruction of the prominent Black Lives Matter Plaza near the White House, cleared homeless encampments that angered Trump and smiled for the cameras with him in the Oval Office - a quite different approach from his first term, when she made political hay out of bashing the president. Bowser frames it as a pragmatic approach to ward off additional interference.
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MURIEL BOWSER: It has been clear that our autonomy has kind of been in the crosshairs. That's our North Star.
KOMA: The federal government exercises outsized control over the city, which has fought for years for self-governance and even statehood. So despite some grumbling, the city's politicians largely supported Bowser to present a united front. But that started to change after Bowser went out of her way to praise Trump's decision to send federal law enforcement agents into the city.
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BOWSER: We greatly appreciate the surge of officers that enhance what MPD has been able to do in this city.
KOMA: Tommy Wells, a former D.C. councilmember who later worked for Bowser's administration, sympathizes with her precarious position. But he believes such compliance with Trump's directives risk giving him cover to repeat these actions elsewhere.
TOMMY WELLS: You have to speak out. Many of us moved to Washington because we believe in our government, we believed in higher purpose and we believe in public service. You can't just put that all on a shelf now. That's not who we are as a city.
KOMA: This is a balancing act that's challenged Democrats at all levels across the country. Moderate figures like Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer have pressed for compromise with Trump to keep the government open, but that's outraged a lot of the Democratic base. Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for New York City mayor, is perhaps the best example of a candidate that has channeled some of the party's frustration. Leaders of the left wing of the party, like Senator Bernie Sanders, have pressed for this sort of direct confrontation.
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BERNIE SANDERS: And what Zohran's campaign is about is an understanding that today, we are living in an unprecedented moment in the modern history of our country, and we have got to fight back in an unprecedented way.
KOMA: Many D.C. activists are looking for a similar candidate. Scott Goldstein, a progressive teachers' advocate, believes Bowser's approach has put her out of step with voters ahead of next year's mayoral race.
SCOTT GOLDSTEIN: There is a wide-open lane for someone to capture the incredible sentiment from the people in D.C. right now that we need a different approach to leadership.
KOMA: But it's still unclear who, if anyone, might challenge Bowser with a more forceful response to the Trump administration should she seek a fourth term. Should she win, she'd tie Marion Barry for the longest-tenured mayor in city history. D.C. Councilmember Robert White ran against Bowser four years ago, and he's signaled an interest in doing so again. He's also sharpened his criticisms of Bowser in recent weeks.
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ROBERT WHITE: We should not, as the District of Columbia, be giving people the impression that this is a good thing, that we are OK with it, that it is helping the city. It is not doing any of those things.
KOMA: Yet White has still not formally announced a campaign, and he faced complaints in his first bid that he failed to draw a clear enough contrast with Bowser. This has fueled calls from some progressive voices for a more forceful candidate to jump in, and fellow Councilmember Janeese Lewis George could fit the bill. Since winning office with the backing of Democratic socialists five years ago, she's been among the mayor's chief antagonists, including on her approach to Trump.
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JANEESE LEWIS GEORGE: We've never seen in history where complying in advance or capitulating has worked. The only response has to be reject and to resist. And in doing so, we earn allies across this country in this fight.
KOMA: As the emergency takeover of the city's police department ends tonight, the president could eye interventions in other cities, presenting similar tests for other Democratic leaders.
For NPR News, I'm Alex Koma in Washington, D.C.
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