President Donald Trump on Tuesday confirmed that he was exploring the prospect of direct federal administration of Washington, D.C.

“We have tremendous power at The White House to run places when we have to. We could run DC. We're looking at DC ... we would run it so good ... we're thinking about doing it, to be honest with you," he said during a Cabinet meeting.

The District of Columbia is a federal territory administered by a local government, though Congress maintains the right to overrule its mayor and city council.

Trump's remarks come amid clashes with the local authorities, including a recent incident in which Trump pressured local authorities to sweep homeless camps in the city.

In March of 2023, moreover, President Joe Biden signed legislation to block a sentencing reform plan that the city approved that many viewed as soft on crime.