Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said Monday she had a “great meeting” with President-elect Trump.
“Today, President Trump and I had an excellent meeting to discuss our shared priorities for the President’s second term,” Bowser said in a statement to X. “President Trump and I both want Washington, D.C. to be the greatest and most beautiful city in America. “We want our capital to reflect the strength of our nation.”
It wasn’t Bowser’s first meeting with Trump.
Axios reported that Bowser met with Trump at Trump Tower in 2016 to discuss his first move to the White House.
At the time, Bowser said the two had “extensive conversations” about public transportation costs and that Trump was “a supporter of the District of Columbia.”
The two started out on good terms, but over the years the relationship faltered.
In 2018, Trump canceled a military parade through D.C. and said he blamed local politicians for the $92 million price tag.
Bowser added a bit of sarcasm to Trump’s comments, claiming he was a local politician who “finally” met a “reality star in the White House.”
Two years later, Trump sharply rebuked Bowser, accusing her of incompetence after she withdrew soldiers and federal law enforcement from George Floyd protests in the city in 2020.
The president said at the time that Bowser was “constantly” coming to the federal government for “handouts” and that the National Guard saved her from “great embarrassment” from the protests.
The two got into an argument over Black Lives Matter protests across the city. In the letter, Bowser asked Trump to withdraw law enforcement from Washington because the protesters were peaceful.
Things appear to have settled down for Bowser and Trump as they prepare to re-enter the White House.
In a statement Monday, Bowser said he and Trump discussed areas of cooperation between Washington’s local governments and the federal government that governs the city. She said there are areas of partnership in particular, such as the city’s federal workforce and “underutilized federal buildings, parks, green space and infrastructure.”
“I am optimistic that we will continue to find common ground during the President’s second term and look forward to supporting a successful inauguration on January 20,” Rep. Bowser said in a statement.
