President Obama has a significant inauguration gift for the District. No, not a big push for statehood,
but a symbolic gesture of solidarity. Over the weekend the presidential limousine
will be fitted with new license plates that feature the familiar DC slogan: “Taxation
Without Representation.” Presumably they will remain on the car during his second term.
For whatever reason, during his first term, the President eschewed the plates, much
to the consternation of members of the City Council and other supporters of the city’s
statehood. Bill Clinton was the last President to use the plates.
A group called DC Vote launched a petition campaign in December to urge Obama to use
the plates. Washington residents voted overwhelmingly for his reelection. However,
he hasn’t appeared publicly with DC mayor Vincent Gray since Gray took office in 2010.
In a pre-election interview analyzing the 2012 race, Fox 5 political commentator Mark Plotkin called Obama’s treatment of DC
“unforgivable.”
President Obama Will At Last Use DC’s “Taxation Without Representation” Plates
But it has taken four years to get him to do so.
President Obama has a significant inauguration gift for the District. No, not a big push for statehood,
but a symbolic gesture of solidarity. Over the weekend the presidential limousine
will be fitted with new license plates that feature the familiar DC slogan: “Taxation
Without Representation.” Presumably they will remain on the car during his second term.
For whatever reason, during his first term, the President eschewed the plates, much
to the consternation of members of the City Council and other supporters of the city’s
statehood.
Bill Clinton was the last President to use the plates.
A group called DC Vote launched a petition campaign in December to urge Obama to use
the plates. Washington residents voted overwhelmingly for his reelection. However,
he hasn’t appeared publicly with DC mayor
Vincent Gray since Gray took office in 2010.
In a pre-election interview analyzing the 2012 race, Fox 5 political commentator
Mark Plotkin called Obama’s treatment of DC
“unforgivable.”
Most Popular in News & Politics
Washington DC’s 500 Most Influential People of 2025
Pardoned January 6 Rioter Arrested for Breaking and Entering in Virginia
Rock Creek Isn’t Safe to Swim In. RFK Jr. Did It Anyway.
Kennedy Center Prez Calls for Federal Investigation of Kennedy Center, Caps Player Pepper-Sprayed in Arlington, and Trump Decries Online Harassment
Kristi Noem Wants a New Plane and a Reality Show, Kennedy Center Staff Plans to Unionize, and Trump’s Birthday Parade Could Cost $45 Million
Washingtonian Magazine
May Issue: 52 Perfect Saturdays
View IssueSubscribe
Follow Us on Social
Follow Us on Social
Related
Kings Dominion’s Wild New Coaster Takes Flight in Virginia
What’s the Deal With “Republican Makeup”?
DC Might Be Getting a Watergate Museum
DC-Area Universities Are Offering Trump Classes This Fall
More from News & Politics
The Army Says It Will Pay for Any Road Damage From DC’s Military Parade
DC Woman Arrested for Allegedly Spitting on Ed Martin
Major DC Performing Arts Org Will Skip Kennedy Center for New Season
Jeanine Pirro Wants Taxpayers to Fund Her Bottled Water
The Latest on the DC Museum Shooting, and Other News for Thursday Morning
MSNBC Host Jonathan Capehart on His Candid New Memoir
The Latest on the June 14 Trump Military Parade in DC
Gerry Connolly Dies at 75