DC Mayor Says She Discussed Metro, Statehood With Trump

The two met at Trump Tower in New York at the request of the mayor

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser met with President-elect Donald Trump in New York on Tuesday and said she spoke with him about Metro and D.C. statehood.

Bowser told News4's Mark Segraves in New York that she had a "wide-ranging discussion" with the incoming commander-in-chief. The pair met for more than 40 minutes Tuesday morning in Trump Tower.

Bowser requested the meeting. After Trump's election, she said "some mending of relationships'' was needed between Trump and a city that overwhelmingly voted for Democrat Hillary Clinton.

The mayor was joined in the meeting by her two top advisers. Trump had no staff in the room.

Bowser said one of her top issues to raise with Trump was the city's struggling Metrorail system.

"I told him a lot about our Metro system -- how many federal workers use it, what are some of the challenges it's having now," she said.

Bowser said she planned to talk about Metro in more details with Elaine Chao, who Trump nominated for U.S. Secretary of Transportation.

The mayor said Trump was interested in hearing about D.C. residents' "very huge vote" in favor of urging Congress to endorse making the District the 51st state in the union.

"He was impressed with how popular and how much support it had in the District," Bowser said about Trump.

She said she wanted Trump to understand how the D.C. government works.

"We're independent, we take care of ourselves, we don't get any more from the federal government than another other state. And we act like a state. We function like a state," she said. "I wanted to make sure he understood Washington D.C. as the unique entity that it is."

Bowser declined to characterize Trump's position on issues they discussed but described the meeting as the beginning of a relationship. Trump showed "a willingness to work together to reach common ground," she said. 

Bowser said she believes it is important for D.C. to continue its tradition of being a gracious host to every president.

After Bowser met with Trump, she traveled a few blocks away to meet with former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg. Bowser said she planned to speak with him about education.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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