Republicans have in recent years sought to overturn home rule for the District of Columbia, a Democratic stronghold that has had a degree if self-governance since 1973 but is still largely beholden to the U.S. Congress.

"I think that we should govern District of Columbia," Trump told reporters on Air Force Once.

"We should run it strong, run it with law and order, make it absolutely flawlessly beautiful. And I think we should take over Washington, D.C. Make it safe," said Trump, who has made similar calls in the past.

Republican lawmakers introduced a bill two weeks ago that would eliminate the District of Columbia's local government, including the elected mayor and city council. It would also enable Congress to legislate for its 700,000 people, 44% of whom are African American.

The bill has been named the Bowser Act in reference to the Black mayor of D.C., Muriel Bowser.

Similar legislation in 2023 failed to pass and remains unlikely to pass under Senate rules.

Even so, Washington Post columnist Colbert I. King wrote after the legislation was introduced that the latest Republican threat of a takeover is the most serious to date, saying "political dynamics have changed. The guardrails are gone."

Democrats including Bowser have supported elevating the capital city to becoming the 51st state, a proposal that has also failed.

Bowser's office did not respond to a late-night query on Trump's remarks, but in comments after the Bowser Act was introduced said, "Home Rule is a limited self-government, but what we should be focused on is our pathway to becoming the 51st state."

Trump weighed in while taking questions from reporters while returning to Washington from an investor conference in Miami.

"I like the mayor. I get along great with the mayor, but they're not doing the job. Too much crime, too much graffiti, too many tents on the lawns," Trump said.

The president also said he did not want foreign heads of state or government to see homelessness on their visits to Washington.