GEOFF BENNETT: President Trump continues to direct# his ire at cities run by Democrats for what he## says is an out-of-control crime wave, despite# FBI data showing crime down in every category.

The president this week went as far as# threatening a federal takeover of the## nation's capital after an administration staffer# was attacked during an attempted carjacking.

William Brangham has more.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: That's right, Geoff.

On Tuesday, the president posted a .. he'd apparently been attacked by a large# group.

Two 15-year-olds are now in custody.

Yesterday, the president had this to say: DONALD TRUMP, President of the United States: What# a shame, the rate of crime, the rate of muggings,## killings and everything else.

We're not going# to let it -- and that includes bringing in the## National Guard maybe very quickly too.

This has# to be the best-run place in the country, not the## worst-run place in the country.

And it has so much# potential, and we're going to take care of it.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: It's worth noting# that, contrary to the president's claims,## violent crime in Washington,# D.C., last year hit a 30-year low.

But for more on this, I am joined by# George Derek Musgrove.

He's an associate## professor at the University of Maryland# and author of the book "Chocolate City:## A History of Race and Democracy# in the Nation's Capital."

Derek Musgrove, welcome to the "News Hour."

GEORGE DEREK MUSGROVE, Associate# Professor of History and Africana Studies,## WILLIAM BRANGHAM: How seriously should#.. has put forward that he's going to send the# National Guard in to take over the police?

GEORGE DEREK MUSGROVE: I think# quite seriously, for two reasons.

One is that the president has been# quite consistent in this regard.

I mean,## this claim is actually in the# GOP platform.

And the president## has repeated it over and over again,# his first term and now in his second.

The other is that the president has a great# deal of power under the Home Rule Act.

He has## control of the National Guard.

He can send it in.# He's actually able to take over the Metropolitan## Police Department for a period of about 30 days.# And so he's capable of doing what he's saying.

What he's not capable of doing is getting# rid of home rule altogether.

Congress## passed the Home Rule Act.

Congress has# to repeal it if it is to be repealed.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: I know he has said# he would like it to be repealed.

But for people who may not be following this# that closely, D.C. does sit in this unusual## limbo.

It's not a state.

It doesn't really have# full autonomy.

It has a mayor and a city council.## But remind us again of the legal status of the# city with regards to the federal government.

GEORGE DEREK MUSGROVE: Sure.

And under Articl.. overseen by Congress.

Now, Congress can do# roughly three things with that power.

It can## intervene to run the city directly.

It can# step back and let whatever governmental## structure is already there persist.

Or it can# delegate the governance to another entity.

What it did in 1973 is, it delegated a significant# portion of its power to a local government,## a mayor and a 13-member council, as well# as a couple of other offices.

But it can## take that power back.

What it kept for itself# is the ability to oversee our laws.

And so,## every time we pass laws, we have to# send them up to Congress to be reviewed.

It can meddle in our budget.

And so# our budget goes through Congress and## they can place riders on it to# change things that we have done## to direct us in ways that we would spend# our own money.

So it still has a lot of## power as well.

And in the end, it can take# all of that stuff back if it so chooses.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Have we ever seen the federal## government exert that kind of# full control over the city?

GEORGE DEREK MUSGROVE: Yes,# but not in the recent past.

So, back in 1874, Congress stripped the city# entirely of local governance.

The city had a mayor## and a council, even a non-voting delegate back in# the early 19th century.

And in a reaction against## Reconstruction after the Civil War, members of# Congress, lined up with the elites in Washington,## D.C., said, if we're going to have African# Americans, even working-class white people## voting, we'd actually prefer to have no# democracy at all in the nation's capital.

And so they ended democracy in the# nation's capital.

You couldn't vote## for anything for 100 years# from 1874 roughly to 1875.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: The mayor, the# current mayor, and the city council## are in obviously this very tight spot.# They don't want to irritate the president,## but they also want to hold on to# what little autonomy they do have.

How have they been responding to all of this?

GEORGE DEREK MUSGROVE: In a very measured manner,## I think, is the best way to put it.

They# have tried to stay quiet.

They have tried## to find places where their concerns# and those of the president match up.

And knowing that they have very little# leverage in this situation, they have## just tried to make sure that the president# is not angered by the things that they do.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: As a scholar of this city and# its odd relationship with the federal government,## do you think that, if the president did# roll the National Guard into the city,## that the city -- how would that# unfold?

How would the city react?

GEORGE DEREK MUSGROVE: Well,# we actually saw this with the## protests in 2020, and the president did# dispatch the military down to Lafayette## Square to deal with protesters.# And folks were quite angered by it.

D.C. residents are very sensitive to their# democratic rights, because they're already## circumscribed.

We have a local government, but we# don't have voting representation in the House of## Representatives or the Senate.

And we know# that.

And we're very keenly aware of that.

So when you begin to erode the small amount# of rights that D.C. residents do have,## folks tend to be very edgy about# that.

And I think they would be again.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Derek Musgrove, University# of Maryland, thank you so much for being here.

GEORGE DEREK MUSGROVE: Thank you for having me.