Statement of Jocelyn Frye, President of the National Partnership for Women & Families
WASHINGTON, D.C. – August 11, 2025 – “President Trump’s move to flood Washington, D.C. with federal law enforcement and National Guard troops is nothing short of an authoritarian stunt reminiscent of North Korean or Russian displays of power. These actions are a dangerous abuse designed to intimidate, not protect, and they are a direct assault on the freedoms of D.C. residents and anyone who sets foot in our city. The targeting of unhoused people in our community shows zero compassion for individuals, many of whom are struggling with a range of mental and physical health challenges and poverty. Moreover, these actions are part of his latest effort to distract from his other controversies, including the continuing lack of transparency about his long relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
“To be clear: Donald Trump knows absolutely nothing about D.C. I say this as a native Washingtonian who loves this city. Washington, DC is a wonderful city and a great place to call home. We have challenges, like most places, but the solutions require our community working together, not fiats from a remote President desperate to wield power in whatever way he can.
“Unlike Donald Trump, I have been to every ward of this city and I know first hand the many things that make D.C. a great city – the Frederick Douglass Museum, Rock Creek Park, Hains Point, the National Zoo, the street festivals and parades on Georgia Avenue, H Street, and Freedom Plaza, the views from the Washington Cathedral, the history of U Street and the Black Broadway, the beautiful neighborhoods – LeDroit Park, 16th Street Heights, Hillcrest, Brightwood, Dupont Circle, Michigan Park, Takoma, Georgetown, Colonial Village, Woodley Park, Cleveland Park, and more.
“It is a city with a rich history that stretches well beyond the eyesight of the White House. Most importantly, it is filled with good, decent, honest, hard-working people – teachers, blue – and white-collar workers, public servants, taxi and bus drivers, administrators, researchers and analysts, retirees and new immigrants – regular folks who are just trying to provide for their families and be good neighbors.
“Donald Trump’s takeover will not make this city great. Unfortunately, the strategy of white politicians who know virtually nothing about the city coming to D.C. and using it as a backdrop to gin up their base and deploy negative and often racist, narratives is not new. But it is hurtful, harmful, and a wholly irresponsible effort to dehumanize and caricature an entire community. If the President was serious about addressing the challenges facing unhoused individuals in the community, then he would meet with experts and push for more funding for mental health services and affordable housing, not stripping health care funds to pay for tax breaks for billionaires. If the President wants to help D.C. residents, he should walk across the newly paved Rose Garden, exit the White House, visit a few neighborhoods, and listen to residents. I’m sure he would get an earful about what people think of his policies and his narrative.
“Today’s actions speak volumes about exactly who the President is. Any person and party who believes in defending the value of our democracy must resist this destructive and destabilizing precedent. The National Partnership renews our call for Congress to protect the freedom and democratic rights of all, including the residents of D.C., who continue to lack full voting power. We will not be silent while Trump turns our capital into a battlefield and our citizens into collateral damage. D.C. deserves freedom, safety, and full democratic rights – not occupation.”
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