President Donald Trump suggested the federal government could “take back” Washington, D.C., if Janeese Lewis George, a democratic socialist leading in polls for the Democratic primary, wins the district’s mayoral race this year.

Backlash to Trump’s administration is central to the D.C. mayoral race, as Trump has clashed with leaders in the heavily Democratic district and other left-leaning cities throughout his second term over issues like immigration and public safety. D.C. is one of the most liberal places in the country, giving Trump less than 7 percent of its vote in the 2024 election, so whoever emerges victorious from the June 16 Democratic primary will be heavily favored to win the general election.

Trump was asked about the race after speaking in the Oval Office on Thursday, as a reporter asked him about the candidacy of Lewis George, comparing her to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a fellow democratic socialist.

Trump said he “wouldn’t like it” if she wins the election.

“Maybe we take back Washington and run it on a federal basis,” he said. “We won’t put up with it. We’re not going to lose our businesses. By the way, Washington now is a safe, beautiful place.”

His comments come as Lewis George leads in polls and prediction markets.

Newsweek reached out to leading D.C. mayoral campaigns for comment via email.

D.C. mayoral candidates rebuffed Trump's stance in comments to Newsweek on Thursday.

Rini Sampath, a cybersecurity director, told Newsweek in a brief phone interview that she was “blown away” by Trump’s comments. “At the same time, we all knew something like this was going to come our way, with the president stepping in and trying to interfere with our local elections. Fundamentally, we have to do everything in our power to stop Trump from taking over the city.”

She added that D.C. is a “majority-Black city that has been denied full democracy for decades,” and that federal interference carries the message that the “people of D.C. cannot be trusted to govern themselves.”