Trump wants to take over some American cities. It is unlikely – but it can make life difficult for them

US President Donald Trump wanders against American cities – and in the past few weeks, he implicitly that he will use the presidential powers to request the federal seizure of New York City and Washington, DC,

Driven by his efforts to break the immigration and what he describes as high crime rates in urban areas, Trump’s continuous runner has reached many major American cities to a boiling point in recent weeks.

“We are thinking about doing this, to be honest with you. We want a capital that runs without a defect.” During the cabinet meeting A few weeks ago.

His threats also extended to New York City, especially in reference to the candidate Mayor Zahran Mamdani-a socialist and high star in the Democratic Party, which Trump says will be a disaster if a mayor is elected in the largest city in the country.

“We will correct New York …. Perhaps we will have to correct it from Washington,” the president said. Earlier this month.

Does he have the ability to do this? It really depends on what Trump refers to – and where – according to experts who spoke with CBC News. But he can find ways to make life very difficult for city governments and their inhabitants.

What are the limits of his strength?

David Schlesher, a lawyer and professor at the Faculty of Law at Yale University, an expert in state and city governments, said that the Supreme Court was “unusually clear” that the federal government could not lead parts of the state government.

“This is, they cannot tell state officials or local officials about how to manage the government, and therefore they cannot seize them and make them do things,” he said.

This is shown in the tenth amendment of the US constitution, Who is the representative of the forces To the countries that were not Country To the federal government. Within this amendment, the federal government is prevented from directing state or city officials to work for its goals.

“If what (Trump) means is like, remove the mayor and replace it with Prodi Juliani or something – this is not something in his authority.”

However, when Trump It indicates The presence of a “enormous force” in the White House for “operation” when we have to ” – as he did earlier this month, in response to a question about Mamdani’s rise as a major candidate for the town – can indicate some different results.

There are several ways that the federal government can “choose battles” with cities, according to Philip Walsh, an older colleague at the Institute of American Institutions, is a conservative thinking center in Washington, DC.

This can include sending immigration officials or federal law enforcement to a city, contrary to what Trump did with immigration and customs raids (ICE) in Los Angeles earlier this summer, or send National Guard During protests against raids.

He can also threaten financial consequences through his authority or with the help of Congress – something is I did on Several occasions To Chicago.

New York City, in particular, depends on the federal government For $ 7.4 billion in financing During the fiscal year 2026.

Wallach compared this dynamic with the ongoing conflicts of the Trump administration with major American universities, including Columbia University in New York. While the federal government does not control Colombia, it has been used Federal financing discounts Little on school.

“I expect this type of playing rules to be applied to New York City, but on a much larger scale,” Walsh said.

The capital is more vulnerable to federal overlap

Trump has similarly considered seizing Washington, DC, claiming that the region Full of crime; Data show that violent accidents It was below Harge in 2024.

But the presidential forces are a different story in the nation’s capital. Colombia province, as a federal region and not a country, is more likely to intervene by the federal government and Congress.

The capital is being managed by the House of Home Base Law, a A form of autonomy This became a law in 1973. But Congress reviews all the legislation approved by the local council and has authority over the boycott budget – and its residents had no representative of a vote in Congress. The president also appoints boycotting judges.

“They have rights in New York City, we do not have in the capital, so we are in a more dangerous situation,” said Vanessa Patters Thompson, Executive Director of the Center for Law and Justice.

The capital had many different government structures over the years, but it says, “Frankly, the city’s federal administration has not succeeded very well”, partly because it was difficult to balance the federal authority with local inputs.

While Trump had argued for his federal independence in the capital to cancel the turmoil, Batts-thethpson notes that the implementation of federal law has already a large presence in the city-from the FBI to the Capitol Police to the Garden Police-in addition to the local police force in the capital.

She said that the full acquisition of the region may mean eliminating the home base law.

But there are other options, such as a large congressional legislation in the region, or the recruitment of a “The Control Council”-strategy in the 1990s and in which the federal government is He appointed a team of officials To sit over the mayor of the capital, it works as a successor to spending and politics decisions.

“I would like to claim that the re-imposition of the control council is no longer necessary,” said Batters-Hompson.

Political benefits of penetration in Trump

Many experts who spoke with CBC News- a modern example is the public that there is a political opportunity when he puts himself as a strong anti-democratic qualification. tête-à tête With the governor of California Gavin New Roire during the immigration raid protests in Los Angeles.

“Trump is thinking of other cities as politicians in those cities or population in general offer opposition to his vision as a president,” said Domingo Morel, associate professor of political science and public service at New York University.

This friction, which played between the countries that were judged by Republicans and democratic cities, likened to a large extent in the 1980s and 1990s: “I think Donald Trump takes this playing book … and now we will do this at the federal level.”

Shalcher, a law professor Yale, said that Trump and Mamdani have a suitable relationship for both.

“I imagine that the Trump political team is looking at Mamdani as a gift for them, as they oppose the type of number they want to oppose.”.

Meanwhile, Mamadani can use Trump’s inception among the New York residents in his favor, “because the likeness of other personalities of Trump is his political interest,” he added.

“This is the type of policy that I imagine is that there is a continuous clip because it benefits both.”