The Day Washington Changed

Trump’s Federal Takeover of D.C. Tests the Limits of American Democracy. At the White House, A Scene Set for Power.

WASHINGTON — The rain had stopped just moments before the White House briefing room doors opened, the air outside still heavy from a summer storm. Inside, the atmosphere was taut. Reporters, used to the theatrics of a Trump press event, sensed this was something more, not just a headline but a moment that would be parsed in law schools, political science departments, and history books for years to come.

The President entered flanked by two figures who symbolise the fusion of political loyalty and media influence: Pam Bondi, a former state attorney general and long-time Trump ally, and Pete Hegseth, a former Army officer turned Fox News commentator now improbably serving as Defence Secretary.

What followed was not the incremental policy announcement Americans have come to expect from Washington. It was a declaration of control, of urgency, and, to many, of an altered balance between federal authority and local democracy.

A Provision Awakened After Half a Century

Section 740 of the District…