#Trump calls Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser ‘incompetent’ in Black Lives Matter feud

WASHINGTON — President Trump upbraided Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser on Friday, accusing her of being “incompetent” as tensions between the pair escalate.

In a series of tweets, Trump ripped Bowser after the Democratic mayor painted “Black Lives Matter” in huge letters on the street leading to the White House earlier Friday and demanded the president withdraw the thousands of National Guard troops deployed to the nation’s capital.

“The incompetent Mayor of Washington, D.C., @MayorBowser, who’s budget is totally out of control and is constantly coming back to us for ‘handouts’, is now fighting with the National Guard, who saved her from great embarrassment over the last number of nights,” Trump tweeted.

“If she doesn’t treat these men and women well, then we’ll bring in a different group of men and women!” he continued.

Bowser, who is African American, clashed with Trump after his administration decided to flood the region with troops last weekend after peaceful protests over the death of George Floyd made way for rioting, looting and arson.

The Democrat, who assumed office in 2015, mocked the president for hiding “alone” and “afraid” inside the heavily fortified White House and said she wanted the out-of-state National Guard to leave after she ended a curfew for residents.

The White House returned fire Thursday evening, telling The Post that Bowser’s lack of leadership forced Trump to restore law and order in Washington.

In a huge political statement Friday morning, Bowser designated the square in front of Lafayette Park as Black Lives Matter Plaza and ordered city staffers and local artists to paint “Black Lives Matter” in enormous yellow letters on the street that leads to the White House.

“There was a dispute this week about whose street this is,” John Falcicchio, Bowser’s chief of staff, wrote in a tweet.

“Mayor Bowser wanted to make it abundantly clear that this is DC’s street and to honor demonstrators who [were] peacefully protesting on Monday evening,” he continued, referring to the protesters who were forcefully cleared by the National Guard from Lafayette Park.

But the move did not win Bowser the support of Washington’s Black Lives Matter chapter, which described it as a “performative distraction from real policy changes.”