Latest news with #USConferenceofMayors
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘We're anti-federal chaos': Democratic cities prepare for worst after Trump's tirades against DC and LA
As sand-colored Humvees rolled down Washington DC streets against the wishes of local leaders, mayors around the country planned for what they would do if the Trump administration comes for them next. Donald Trump's disdain for Democratic-run cities featured heavily in his 2024 campaign. The president vowed to take over DC – a promise he attempted to fulfill this week. Earlier this year, he sent national guard troops to Los Angeles amid protests despite California opposing the move, which led to a lawsuit from the state. City leaders say there are appropriate ways for the federal government to partner with them to address issues such as crime, but that Trump is using the pretext of crime and unrest to override their local authority, create chaos and distract from a bruising news cycle about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein. Many cities have worked to bring down violent crime rates – they are on the decline in most large cities, though mayors acknowledge they still have work to do to improve the lives of their residents. Related: Democrats introduce joint resolution to end Trump's 'lawless' DC takeover 'President Trump constantly creates a narrative that cities like Seattle are liberal hellholes and we are lawless, and that is just not the fact,' said Bruce Harrell, the mayor of Seattle. 'We are the home of great communities and great businesses. So his view of our city is not aligned with reality. It's to distract the American people from his failures as a president.' By sending in the military, some noted, Trump was probably escalating crime, contributing to distrust in the government and creating unsafe situations both for residents and service members. Even Republican mayors or mayors in red states have said they don't agree with Trump usurping local control for tenuous reasons. The US Conference of Mayors, currently led by the Republican mayor of Oklahoma City, David Holt, pushed back against Trump's takeover of DC, saying 'local control is always best'. 'These mayors around the country, by the way, from multiple ideological backgrounds, they love their city more than they love their ideology,' said Jacob Frey, the mayor of Minneapolis. Mayors told the Guardian they are ready to stand up for their cities, legally and otherwise, should Trump come knocking. They are working with their chiefs of police to ensure they agree on the chain of command and coordinating with governors in the event the national guard is deployed. Because Trump has so frequently brought up plans to crack down on cities, large Democratic cities have been strategizing with emergency planning departments and city attorneys. This is not something that we should be used to, and we shouldn't let this administration break yet another norm or standard in our society Brett Smiley, Providence mayor But Trump has shown he is willing to bend and break the law in his pursuits against cities. The Pentagon is reportedly planning to potentially put national guard troops at the ready, stationed in Alabama and Arizona, to deploy to cities experiencing unrest. He has indicated this is just the beginning of an assault on cities. His attorney general sent letters to a host of Democratic cities this week, threatening to arrest local leaders if they don't cooperate with federal authorities on immigration enforcement. The idea that troops could be on the ground for any number of reasons in cities around the US should alarm people, said Brett Smiley, the Democratic mayor of Providence, Rhode Island. 'This is not something that we should be used to, and we shouldn't let this administration break yet another norm or standard in our society, such that a couple years from now, we don't think twice about when we see troops in our cities,' Smiley said. Why Trump is going after cities The roots of Trump's battle with cities stretch back to his first administration, and they align with common narratives on the right about how cities today have fallen off because of liberal policies. Project 2025, the conservative blueprint, called for crackdowns on cities, including withholding federal funds to force compliance with deportation plans. His campaign promises included a commitment to 'deploying federal assets, including the National Guard, to restore law and order when local law enforcement refuses to act'. In a video from 2023, he explained: 'In cities where there has been a complete breakdown of law and order, where the fundamental rights of our citizens are being intolerably violated, I will not hesitate to send in federal assets including the national guard until safety is restored.' In 2020, he reportedly wished he had cracked down much harder and faster on protesters and rioters during the demonstrations after George Floyd's murder. Now, he's using smaller problems – anti-immigration protests and crime against a government employee – to declare emergencies. Doing something like that in Minneapolis, it would be just a blatantly illegal usurpation of local control … We would take immediate action Jacob Frey, Minneapolis mayor Minneapolis, where the protests began after a police officer killed Floyd, has at times made Trump's list of rundown cities. Frey, a Democrat, said he didn't know whether 2020 protests played a role in Trump's current actions. 'I don't think anybody can pretend to know what's in Donald Trump's head,' Frey said. 'It's an utter mess of idiocy. I don't know what he's thinking. I don't know what he's thinking or what the rhyme or reason is. I mean, clearly there's a focus on Democratically run cities.' When Trump called out other cities on his radar, he named blue cities run by Black mayors – Baltimore, Oakland, Los Angeles, Chicago. 'The fact that my city and all the others called out by the president on Sunday, led by Black mayors, are all making historic progress on crime, but they're the ones getting called up – it tells you everything that you need to know,' Baltimore's mayor, Brandon Scott, said in a press call this week. DC is different The federal government can often partner with cities to address crime – several Democratic mayors noted that they worked with the Biden administration on this front successfully. But those partnerships are mutually agreed upon collaborations, not overrides of local policing. 'We're not anti-federal help. We're anti-federal chaos,' Frey said. Detroit's mayor, Mike Duggan, said in a statement that his city was seeing its lowest homicides, shootings and carjackings in more than 50 years, crediting a partnership with federal agencies and the US attorney as a major part of that success. 'This partnership is simple and effective: DPD does the policing and the feds have strongly increased support for federal prosecution,' Duggan said. 'We appreciate the partnership we have today and are aware of no reason either side would want to change it.' Related: Washington DC and White House agree to scale back Trump 'takeover' of city police Mayors are not saying they have solved the issue of violent crime, Scott said, though they are acknowledging they have reduced it and will continue to work toward further reductions. 'We need folks that want to actually help us do that, versus try to take and show force and make us into something other than a representative democracy that we all are proud to call home,' he said. Mayors throughout the US made a clear distinction between Trump's authority in Washington DC compared with other cities. Washington has a legal provision in the Home Rule Act of 1973 that allows for a president to take over its police department during an emergency on a temporary basis, though Trump is the first to use this power. Other cities have no similar concept in law. Even with the Home Rule Act, Washington officials sued Trump after his attempt to replace the city's police chief, saying the president was mounting a 'hostile takeover' of DC police. Trump and the city agreed to scale back the federal takeover on Friday, keeping DC's police chief in place. 'We know when people want to say they're going to be a dictator on day one, they never voluntarily give up that aspiration on day two,' Norm Eisen, an attorney who frequently sues the Trump administration, said in a press call this week. 'That is what you are seeing in the streets of the District of Columbia.' Cities are preparing In Minneapolis, Frey said the city had prepared operational plans with police, fire and emergency management and readied itself legally. 'Our chief of police and I are lockstep, and he reports up to the commissioner of safety, who reports up to me,' Frey said. 'There's no lack of clarity as to how this reporting structure works, and it certainly does not go to Donald Trump. Doing something like that in Minneapolis, it would be just a blatantly illegal usurpation of local control were this to happen here. Of course, we would take immediate action to get injunctive relief.' Trump's decision to send in national guard troops to Los Angeles is also legally questionable. Governors typically direct guard troops. The California governor, Gavin Newsom, sued Trump for using the military for domestic law enforcement in defiance of the Posse Comitatus Act. The case was heard by a judge this week. Related: Trump is targeting sanctuary cities to settle political scores and potentially arrest his opponents Harrell, of Seattle, said he was confident he would be able to protect his police department and the city's residents if Trump sends troops. 'What I have to do is make sure that the people under my jurisdiction as mayor feel confident in an ability to fight his overreach, and that our law department is well geared to advance our legal arguments,' he said. Scott, of Baltimore, said he was prepared to take every action 'legally and otherwise'. Still, there is some uncertaintyand unsteadiness about how cities can respond if Trump calls up the national guard. 'It's very difficult to know what our options are, because we're in uncharted territory here,' Smiley, of Providence, said. 'It's unprecedented and I don't know what my options are with respect to preventing troops from coming in, which is one of the reasons that I'm trying to be so proactive about making it clear that it's not necessary, it's not wanted.' • This article was amended on 17 August 2025. An earlier version stated that tanks were present in Washington DC, when they were actually Humvees. Solve the daily Crossword
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
‘We're anti-federal chaos': Democratic cities prepare for worst after Trump's tirades against DC and LA
As sand-colored Humvees rolled down Washington DC streets against the wishes of local leaders, mayors around the country planned for what they would do if the Trump administration comes for them next. Donald Trump's disdain for Democratic-run cities featured heavily in his 2024 campaign. The president vowed to take over DC – a promise he attempted to fulfill this week. Earlier this year, he sent national guard troops to Los Angeles amid protests despite California opposing the move, which led to a lawsuit from the state. City leaders say there are appropriate ways for the federal government to partner with them to address issues such as crime, but that Trump is using the pretext of crime and unrest to override their local authority, create chaos and distract from a bruising news cycle about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein. Many cities have worked to bring down violent crime rates – they are on the decline in most large cities, though mayors acknowledge they still have work to do to improve the lives of their residents. 'President Trump constantly creates a narrative that cities like Seattle are liberal hellholes and we are lawless, and that is just not the fact,' said Bruce Harrell, the mayor of Seattle. 'We are the home of great communities and great businesses. So his view of our city is not aligned with reality. It's to distract the American people from his failures as a president.' By sending in the military, some noted, Trump was probably escalating crime, contributing to distrust in the government and creating unsafe situations both for residents and service members. Even Republican mayors or mayors in red states have said they don't agree with Trump usurping local control for tenuous reasons. The US Conference of Mayors, currently led by the Republican mayor of Oklahoma City, David Holt, pushed back against Trump's takeover of DC, saying 'local control is always best'. 'These mayors around the country, by the way, from multiple ideological backgrounds, they love their city more than they love their ideology,' said Jacob Frey, the mayor of Minneapolis. Mayors told the Guardian they are ready to stand up for their cities, legally and otherwise, should Trump come knocking. They are working with their chiefs of police to ensure they agree on the chain of command and coordinating with governors in the event the national guard is deployed. Because Trump has so frequently brought up plans to crack down on cities, large Democratic cities have been strategizing with emergency planning departments and city attorneys. But Trump has shown he's willing to bend and break the law in his pursuits against cities. The Pentagon is reportedly planning to potentially put national guard troops at the ready, stationed in Alabama and Arizona, to deploy to cities experiencing unrest. He has indicated this is just the beginning of an assault on cities. His attorney general sent letters to a host of Democratic cities this week, threatening to arrest local leaders if they don't cooperate with federal authorities on immigration enforcement. The idea that troops could be on the ground for any number of reasons in cities around the US should alarm people, said Brett Smiley, the Democratic mayor of Providence, Rhode Island. 'This is not something that we should be used to, and we shouldn't let this administration break yet another norm or standard in our society, such that a couple years from now, we don't think twice about when we see troops in our cities,' Smiley said. The roots of Trump's battle with cities stretch back to his first administration, and they align with common narratives on the right about how cities today have fallen off because of liberal policies. Project 2025, the conservative blueprint, called for crackdowns on cities, including withholding federal funds to force compliance with deportation plans. His campaign promises included a commitment to 'deploying federal assets, including the National Guard, to restore law and order when local law enforcement refuses to act'. In a video from 2023, he explained: 'In cities where there has been a complete breakdown of law and order, where the fundamental rights of our citizens are being intolerably violated, I will not hesitate to send in federal assets including the national guard until safety is restored.' In 2020, he reportedly wished he cracked down much harder and faster on protesters and rioters during the demonstrations after George Floyd's murder. Now, he's using smaller problems – anti-immigration protests and crime against a government employee – to declare emergencies. Minneapolis, where the protests began after a police officer killed Floyd, has at times made Trump's list of rundown cities. Frey, a Democrat, said he didn't know whether 2020 protests played a role in Trump's current actions. 'I don't think anybody can pretend to know what's in Donald Trump's head,' Frey told the Guardian. 'It's an utter mess of idiocy. I don't know what he's thinking. I don't know what he's thinking or what the rhyme or reason is. I mean, clearly there's a focus on Democratically run cities.' When Trump called out other cities on his radar, he named blue cities run by Black mayors – Baltimore, Oakland, Los Angeles, Chicago. 'The fact that my city and all the others called out by the president on Sunday, led by Black mayors, are all making historic progress on crime, but they're the ones getting called up – it tells you everything that you need to know,' Baltimore's mayor, Brandon Scott, said in a press call this week. The federal government can often partner with cities to address crime – several Democratic mayors noted that they worked with the Biden administration on this front successfully. But those partnerships are mutually agreed upon collaborations, not overrides of local policing. 'We're not anti-federal help. We're anti-federal chaos,' Frey said. Detroit's mayor, Mike Duggan, said in a statement that his city is seeing its lowest homicides, shootings and carjackings in more than 50 years, crediting a partnership with federal agencies and the US attorney as a major part of that success. 'This partnership is simple and effective: DPD does the policing and the feds have strongly increased support for federal prosecution,' Duggan said. 'We appreciate the partnership we have today and are aware of no reason either side would want to change it.' Mayors are not saying they have solved the issue of violent crime, Scott said, though they are acknowledging they have reduced it and will continue to work toward further reductions. 'We need folks that want to actually help us do that, versus try to take and show force and make us into something other than a representative democracy that we all are proud to call home,' he said. Mayors throughout the US made a clear distinction between Trump's authority in Washington DC compared to other cities. Washington has a legal provision in the Home Rule Act of 1973 that allows for a president to take over its police department during an emergency on a temporary basis, though Trump is the first to use this power. Other cities have no similar concept in law. Even with the Home Rule Act, Washington officials sued Trump after his attempt to replace the city's police chief, saying the president was mounting a 'hostile takeover' of DC police. Trump and the city agreed to scale back the federal takeover on Friday, keeping DC's police chief in place. 'We know when people want to say they're going to be a dictator on day one, they never voluntarily give up that aspiration on day two,' Norm Eisen, an attorney who frequently sues the Trump administration, said in a press call this week. 'That is what you are seeing in the streets of the District of Columbia.' In Minneapolis, Frey said the city has prepared operational plans with police, fire and emergency management and readied itself legally. 'Our chief of police and I are lockstep, and he reports up to the commissioner of safety, who reports up to me,' Frey said. 'There's no lack of clarity as to how this reporting structure works, and it certainly does not go to Donald Trump. Doing something like that in Minneapolis, it would be just a blatantly illegal usurpation of local control were this to happen here. Of course, we would take immediate action to get injunctive relief.' Trump's decision to send in national guard troops to Los Angeles is also legally questionable. Governors typically direct guard troops. The California governor, Gavin Newsom, sued Trump for using the military for domestic law enforcement in defiance of the Posse Comitatus Act. The case was heard by a judge this week. Harrell, of Seattle, said he is confident he will be able to protect his police department and the city's residents if Trump sends troops. 'What I have to do is make sure that the people under my jurisdiction as mayor feel confident in an ability to fight his overreach, and that our law department is well geared to advance our legal arguments,' he said. Scott, of Baltimore, said he was prepared to take every action 'legally and otherwise'. Still, there is some uncertaintyand unsteadiness about how cities can respond if Trump calls up the national guard. 'It's very difficult to know what our options are, because we're in unchartered territory here,' Smiley, of Providence, said. 'It's unprecedented and I don't know what my options are with respect to preventing troops from coming in, which is one of the reasons that I'm trying to be so proactive about making it clear that it's not necessary, it's not wanted.' This article was amended on 17 August 2025. An earlier version stated that tanks were present in Washington DC, when they were actually Humvees.
Indian Express
03-06-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
‘I'll spend 8 years in Washington': Andrew Cuomo outlines national fight against Trump
Andrew Cuomo, the former New York governor and current frontrunner in the city's mayoral race, has said he will take on US President Donald Trump nationally if elected. In an interview with Politico, Cuomo said he would use his role as mayor to help Democrats win back the House of Representatives, especially by opposing Trump's proposed Medicaid cuts. 'If I become mayor, I would spend eight years in Washington go to that US Conference of Mayors, go to the National Governors Association,' Cuomo told Politico. 'You're going to have to be a spokesperson, advocate, organiser. This is what Medicaid means in Mississippi, this is what Medicaid means in Texas.' Cuomo believes that Trump's plan to cut Medicaid could hurt Republicans in swing districts. 'Medicaid is not a blue-city, blue-state situation. That is in every state. That is a lot of red Congressional districts. And he could lose the House on cutting Medicaid if you organised it and got it moving,' he said. Despite not yet winning the election, Cuomo is already talking about how he would deal with a Republican administration. He is reportedly under investigation by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) for his handling of nursing home deaths during the Covid-19 pandemic. The probe is based on claims that he gave false testimony to Congress about his administration's report on the issue. Cuomo called the investigation 'purely political nonsense' and said he has not been contacted by the Justice Department or received a subpoena. 'My thing is, I don't recall. There's no incorrect statement in 'I don't recall',' he said in the Politico interview. He added that any Democratic mayor who opposes Trump could be targeted. 'Assume any person who becomes mayor will be investigated. Just assume that. If they oppose Trump, he will investigate them for leverage,' Cuomo said. Trump commented on the investigation, saying, 'I've known Andrew. We've had an on-off relationship. He was saying the greatest things about me … and then the next day he'd hit us. But I hope it's going to be okay, I hope it's not going to be serious for him. We'll see what happens.' Cuomo also responded to criticism that Trump supporters have donated to a super PAC backing his campaign. 'I don't even know if they're Trump donors,' he told Politico. 'Bill Ackman donated to me before there was a Trump. These people I know before Trump. They're not Trump donors, they're Cuomo donors who maybe supported Trump.' Though Cuomo says he is only focused on the mayoral race, his comments suggest he sees a chance to re-enter national politics. 'What is Medicaid going to mean in Lawler's district?' he said, referring to a New York Republican. 'But what is it going to mean nationally, is the way you really make a difference.' Cuomo resigned as governor in 2021 after a state report said he sexually harassed multiple women. He denied the findings but stepped down. Winning the mayor's office could return him to the national stage.
New York Post
03-06-2025
- Business
- New York Post
Andrew Cuomo vows to lead fight against Trump if elected NYC mayor: ‘I'll spend 8 years in Washington'
New York City mayoral frontrunner Andrew Cuomo has vowed to lead the fight against President Trump if he's elected, insisting he'll 'spend eight years in Washington' in a bid to help Democrats retake the House. The former governor told Politico he planned to wage the national campaign against the Trump administration — even though the 2024 presidential election marked the closest New York has ever come to turning red in almost four decades. 'I would spend eight years in Washington — go to that US Conference of Mayors, go to the National Governors Association,' Cuomo said as he detailed his anti-Trump strategy if he's elected to run the Big Apple. Advertisement If elected NYC mayor, Andrew Cuomo vowed to 'spend eight years in Washington' helping Democrats take back the House. Stephen Yang Cuomo ripped Trump for cutting Medicaid — something he says could lose Republicans the House. Francis Chung/UPI/Shutterstock Cuomo, who is reportedly embroiled in a Department of Justice probe over his handling of nursing home deaths during COVID, noted he would hone in specifically on Trump's planned Medicaid cuts. Advertisement 'He's cutting Medicaid. Medicaid is not a blue-city, blue-state situation. That is in every state. That is a lot of red Congressional districts. And he could lose the House on cutting Medicaid if you organized it and got it moving,' Cuomo said. 'You're going to have to be a spokesperson, advocate, organizer,' he added. 'This is what Medicaid means in Mississippi, this is what Medicaid means in Texas… And you organize that, they don't have a lot of Congressional seats left to lose.' Cuomo made the remarks after being asked what leverage he believed he'd have against the White House if elected.
Mint
30-05-2025
- Business
- Mint
Northern US Mayors Call for End to ‘Irrational' Trade War With Canada
Mayors in states that border Canada are calling for an end to President Donald Trump's trade war with the country, saying it has harmed businesses and workers in their communities and upended one of the world's most successful economic relationships. Andrew Ginther, mayor of Columbus, Ohio, and Bryan Barnett, mayor of Rochester Hills, Michigan, said in an interview Friday that the countries should continue to build things together and trade with each other because the partnership has been working for decades. 'We don't think that growth and prosperity for American cities comes through a prolonged, unstable, irrational and emotionally charged trade war,' said Ginther, a Democrat who is also president of the US Conference of Mayors. 'Our metro economies are based on trade and being able to export what we produce in the United States.' The two mayors were in Ottawa for a meeting of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, the counterpart to Ginther's group. The politicians said cooperation among Canadian, American and Mexican mayors has never been stronger and at a municipal level, leaders are broadly united against tariffs. Canada and Mexico were among the first countries targeted by Trump — he imposed levies on goods that don't comply with the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement, as well as sectoral duties on steel, aluminum and automobiles, prompting Canada to retaliate with levies of its own. Both mayors' communities are hubs for auto manufacturing, which sees parts zip back and forth across the Canada-US border as vehicles are assembled. Barnett, a Republican, said the interconnected sector has been effective in driving growth for all involved. 'We have two of the strongest economies in the world because we work together,' he said. 'We're a capitalistic society that has succeeded because innovative people find great ways to make important things. And they do that with partnerships, they do that with collaborations. I want to harness that. I don't want to block it.' There is value in the president's overall goal of repatriating jobs to the US, the mayors said, and there are industries where a domestic supply chain is essential, such as computer chips. But the uncertainty caused by the chaotic tariff rollout is damaging businesses' ability to make investment and hiring decisions, they said. A recent survey of businesses in Rochester Hills found that nearly 60% have ruled out capital investment in 2025, with 30% planning to lay people off this year, Barnett said. Given that the top issue in their communities — and the issue that helped elect the president — is the cost of living, the tariffs are a misguided policy, the mayors argued. 'The uncertainty is deadly,' Ginther said. 'The cost of living's probably tough enough when you have a job. When you lose that job, that's when you have families spiral into a real desperate place.' This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
