Trump Offers to Remedy Polluted Waterway—If Democrats Ask ‘Politely’

Donald Trump directed sharp criticism at Democratic leaders in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., on Tuesday regarding the sewage spill contaminating the Potomac River, suggesting federal assistance would be contingent upon a “polite” request from these officials.

“Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., who are responsible for the massive sewage spill in the Potomac River, must get to work, IMMEDIATELY,” Trump stated on Truth Social. “If they can’t do the job, they have to call me and ask, politely, to get it fixed. The Federal Government is not at all involved with what has taken place, but we can fix it.”

He further claimed, “This is a Radical Left caused Environmental Hazard,” criticizing Democrats for their environmental policies while allowing “hundreds of tons of sewage to pour into the Mighty Potomac, making it much less mighty.”

State officials quickly countered Trump’s assertions. Maryland Governor Wes Moore, often a target of Trump’s remarks, responded to reporters, “I know this is breaking news to everyone, but the president is not telling the truth. The Piedmont sewage project is not something that the federal government has had responsibility for in recent years; in fact, it hasn’t been their responsibility for the past century.”

Moore added, “Now that it is essentially 99 percent contained, I love the fact that the president of the United States is finally realizing that this was his job, and he hasn't been doing it for the past month. So I say, 'Listen, we'd welcome you to help to address the remaining 1 percent that hasn't been completed while we've been doing your job.'”

DC Water CEO David L. Gadis emphasized ongoing collaboration with the U.S. EPA since the Potomac Interceptor failure. “We appreciate the ongoing support and counsel they have provided,” he stated. “Just last week, we hosted the Assistant Administrator for Water for a tour of the site and briefing on the project and the progress made to date.”

The agency indicated that repairs are expected to conclude within four to six weeks. The spill has released an estimated 243 million gallons of wastewater into the Potomac but has not compromised local drinking water safety, officials confirmed.

In a related context, Trump’s comments followed a previous outburst where he accused Moore of mismanagement and vowed FEMA would play a significant role in addressing the crisis. “There is a massive Ecological Disaster unfolding in the Potomac River as a result of the Gross Mismanagement of Local Democrat Leaders,” he wrote on Truth Social.

Moore has suggested that Trump’s exclusion of him from an upcoming governors' meeting may be racially motivated, as he is currently the only Black governor in the U.S. This tension escalated after Moore criticized Trump’s threats to deploy the National Guard to Baltimore.

The Independent has reached out to Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser and Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger for their responses regarding this ongoing situation.