Trump railed against D.C.’s problems in his campaign rallies leading up to the election, specifically hitting on crime, which spiked in the city in 2023. He also included a vow that the GOP will “reassert greater Federal Control over Washington, DC to restore Law and Order in our Capital City, and ensure Federal Buildings and Monuments are well-maintained” in the 2024 Republican Party platform

“Right now, if you leave Florida – ‘oh, let’s go, darling, let’s look at the Jefferson Memorial, let’s look at the Washington Monument, let’s go and look at some of the beautiful scenes,’ and you end up getting shot, mugged, raped,” Trump said at a Florida rally in July 2024.

“We’re gonna take over our capital, and we’re gonna run it tough and smart. And we’re gonna beautify it, we’re gonna get all the graffiti off the marble, we’re gonna fix the roads, and the median — which are falling down all over the streets,” he added.

Trump met with D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser last month, and according to the Wall Street Journal, one of the points he brought up was the graffiti he saw when he visited the city in 2023. He told the mayor he was intent on taking action to remove it.

During the meeting, Bowser, who has publicly said she is willing to work with Trump, told the president-elect about the lower crime figures for 2024 and her ability to produce balanced budgets, according to the report. The Justice Department reported in August that 2024 was set to see the lowest crime numbers in 20 years, with rates of violent crime down 35%.

Where Trump and local officials agree is on the desire to get federal workers back into office. Since workers went remote during the COVID-19 pandemic, in-person work hasn’t rebounded, and the downtown economy has taken a massive hit.

“We strongly support return to office efforts for federal workers. Their presence is vital for D.C.’s economy and provides essential support for small businesses that have been hit hard by remote work policies. Undoubtedly, this will be a benefit to both the vibrancy of our nation’s capital and the American people as a whole,” Bowser said in December.

Trump’s incoming administration has already outlined plans to return workers to offices, which have largely sat vacant since 2020. For offices that will stay empty, the city launched an Office to Anything initiative to redevelop those buildings.

While the D.C. local government is looking to work more cooperatively with the incoming Trump administration, some Trump allies have promised more intervention in the city’s activities.

“Washington is going to get an onslaught like it’s never seen before,” Trump ally Steve Bannon told the Wall Street Journal. “It’s much more of a concerted punch than before. Everything is going to be intense at a level people are not accustomed to.”

One sign of Trump’s return came Wednesday when the D.C. Metro began distributing special inauguration commemorative SmarTrip cards at select locations, featuring Trump’s picture and noting him as the 45th and 47th president.

While most D.C. council members are not expected to attend Trump’s inauguration, Bowser said she will as she prepares for four years under a Trump-led federal government.