Washington, D.C., will remove the massive “Black Lives Matter” street mural located just a block from the White House, as Mayor Muriel Bowser navigates mounting pressure from both President Donald Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress.
Bowser acknowledged the decision on X (formerly Twitter) Tuesday, stating, “The mural inspired millions and helped our city through a painful period, but now we can’t afford to be distracted by meaningless congressional interference. The devastating impacts of the federal job cuts must be our number one concern.”
The move marks a notable shift in Bowser’s stance toward Trump and congressional Republicans compared to his first term. In June 2020, amid nationwide protests against police brutality following George Floyd’s killing, Bowser commissioned the mural and renamed the intersection Black Lives Matter Plaza in open defiance of Trump’s handling of the demonstrations.
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Her actions at the time put her in direct conflict with the then-president, who accused her of losing control of the city and even threatened a federal takeover of the Metropolitan Police Department. While Trump never followed through, his administration deployed a multi-agency crackdown, including helicopters flying low over protesters in an intimidation tactic.
Now, as Trump begins his second term, Bowser appears to be taking a more conciliatory approach, working to avoid direct clashes. She even traveled to Mar-a-Lago for a post-election meeting with Trump and has publicly emphasized their shared interests, including a push to return federal workers to in-office jobs.
Meanwhile, Trump has reignited calls for a federal “takeover” of Washington, painting the city as plagued by crime, homelessness, and urban decay. Bowser has largely sidestepped commenting on reports that the White House is preparing an executive order targeting D.C., instead pointing to congressional Republicans as the real threat to the city’s autonomy.
The GOP-controlled Congress has repeatedly sought to intervene in local governance, introducing measures like the BOWSER Act—legislation aimed at revoking the 1973 Home Rule Act, which grants D.C. limited self-governance. Lawmakers have also used budget riders to override city policies on everything from marijuana legalization to traffic laws, and some Republicans have voiced opposition to the Black Lives Matter mural itself.
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At the same time, Washington faces financial turmoil due to Trump’s efforts to downsize the federal workforce. A recent report from the city’s chief financial officer projected a $1 billion budget shortfall over the next three years due to the loss of thousands of federal jobs.
Bowser’s support for the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020 was met with skepticism from local activists, who accused her of performative allyship while maintaining policies favorable to law enforcement. That criticism, according to a report, resurfaced Tuesday as activists condemned the removal of the mural.
“You never cared about Black Lives Mattering. You painting those words was performative,” Nee Nee Taylor, a founding member of D.C.’s Black Lives Matter affiliate, wrote on X.
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