D.C. Mayor Agrees to Remove BLM Mural amid Threats from Trump and Congress

D.C. Mayor Orders Removal of Black Lives Matter Mural She Commissioned After House GOP Threatens to Do It for Her

"We have bigger fish to fry," Mayor Muriel Bowser said in a town hall, as President Trump and Congress contemplate a federal takeover of the city

Rachel Raposas

Published on March 7, 2025 03:39PM EST

Comments

In this image provided by the Executive Office of the Mayor, District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser stands on the rooftop of the Hay Adams Hotel near the White House and looks out at the words Black Lives Matter that have been painted in bright yellow letters on the street by city workers and activists, Friday, June 5, 2020, in Washington. — D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser looks out at the Black Lives Matter mural on June 5, 2020. Photo:
Executive Office of the Mayor/Khalid Naji-Allah/AP

The Democratic mayor of Washington, D.C. has ordered the removal of the city's famous Black Lives Matter mural following a heavy push from Republicans.

In June 2020, during the height of BLM protests in her city, Mayor Muriel Bowser's administration commissioned a two-block-long mural, reading "Black Lives Matter," to be painted onto the street just steps from the White House. At the time, Donald Trump was still in his first term as president.

Now, as the Republican-controlled Congress and White House threaten to bring the liberal District of Columbia under federal jurisdiction, Bowser is agreeing to scrap the Black Lives Matter Plaza.

People walk down 16th street after volunteers, with permission from the city, painted Black Lives Matter on the street near the White House on June 05, 2020 in Washington, DC. — Black Lives Matter mural.
Tasos Katopodis/Getty

In a statement posted to X on March 4, Bowser, 52, explained the tough decision to remove the symbolic art.

"The mural inspired millions of people and helped our city through a very painful period, but now we can't afford to be distracted by meaningless congressional interference," she wrote. "The devastating impacts of the federal job cuts must be our number one concern. Our focus is on economic growth, public safety, and supporting our residents affected by these cuts."

The statement came after Republican Rep. Andrew Clyde of Georgia introduced a House bill that would cut millions in federal funding to Washington, D.C. if the city did not remove the mural and rename the plaza, The New York Times reported.

Still, Bowser claimed that her decision to update the Black Lives Matter Plaza was already in the works and that she planned to announce it in the near future. She noted that the plaza would be reimagined as part of D.C.'s upcoming "America 250" mural project.

Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser takes a question from a reporter at the National Press Club on February 21, 2025 in Washington, DC. Bowser took questions on U.S. President Donald Trump, D.C. home rule, crime, The RFK Stadium redevelopment, and other topics. — Mayor Muriel Bowser.
Andrew Harnik/Getty

Though Bowser agreed to remove the mural in the name of easing tensions with the federal government — "we have bigger fish to fry," Bowser explained in a March 5 town hall — Trump instead shared his intent to exert further federal influence over the city.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up to date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

In a post to Truth Social the next day, he ordered Bowser to "clean up all of the unsightly homeless encampments" in Washington D.C., "specifically including the ones outside of the State Department, and near the White House."

"If she is not capable of doing so, we will be forced to do it for her," Trump's post concluded.