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Norton Responds to Trump Assertion that D.C. Will Never Reach Statehood

May 6, 2020

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today released a statement responding to President Trump's assertion that the District of Columbia "will never be a state" because Republicans are not "stupid."

"President Trump's comments, in response to a question during an interview in the Oval Office on Monday, betray his embarrassing lack of basic understanding of his own country's representative democracy," Norton said.

During the interview, Trump did not hide his fear of "two Democratic senators" and "five more congressmen." Of course, states with as many as a million residents get only one House member. D.C. statehood would mean two senators and one representative for the District in Congress.

"President Trump needs to catch up. H.R.51, our D.C. statehood bill, not only has enough votes, it has enough co-sponsors alone, to pass the House this year.

"Fortunately, President Trump cannot stop D.C. from being closer than ever to equal citizenship and D.C. statehood."