President Donald Trump said Friday that he’ll block the planned move of the FBI headquarters from the nation’s capital to Prince George’s County.

Speaking at the U.S. Department of Justice, the Republican president said the FBI should no longer be moved “three hours away” to Maryland, “a liberal state.”

“We’re going to stop it. We’re not going to let that happen,” Trump said. “We’re going to build another big FBI building right where it is, which would have been the right place, because the FBI and the DOJ have to be near each other.”

During Trump’s nearly 50-minute speech, he mentioned his criminal convictions, his deportation efforts, the dangers of fentanyl, his desire for a ceasefire deal in Ukraine and praise for his cabinet secretaries.

It wasn’t immediately clear how Trump would legally overturn the headquarters decision that was made by the U.S. General Services Administration.

Top Democrats representing Maryland in Congress have spent years advocating to bring the FBI to Greenbelt. In a combined statement along with Gov. Wes Moore, they plan to continue working to bring the headquarters to Maryland.

The Biden administration selected Greenbelt, their statement said, “based on the fact that it is the best site and it offers the lowest price and the best value to the taxpayers. What’s more, it ensures that the FBI can move to a facility that will finally meet its mission and security needs as soon as possible.”

Back in Annapolis, Maryland’s House of Delegates passed a bill that would require the state to put $200 million toward the construction of the new FBI building if it lands in Prince George’s County. But the news of Trump canceling the deal spread quickly, including to state lawmakers from Prince George’s County.

“He’s under some illusion that he can waltz into town and just change the law,” said Del. Jazz Lewis.

Lewis said Trump’s mention of Maryland’s political leanings show this was a partisan decision.

Del. Adrian Boafo, a Democrat, posted on social media he had “confidence in Team Maryland to fight back,” using the nickname Democrats in the federal delegation have given themselves.

“There was a deal on the table, and Trump now is reneging. Shame. On. Him,” Boafo wrote.

Not long after Trump’s remarks, the Maryland House of Delegates voted to require the governor to spend $200 million on “site redevelopment and transportation infrastructure improvements” if the FBI project moves forward. The state already authorized borrowing that amount in bonds, so it would not add to the state’s current budget pressures.

“Given what was announced earlier today, colleagues, I thank you all in standing with us,” said Lewis, a Prince George’s County Democrat and the House majority whip. “I think there will be a long process in figuring out what happens there. But Maryland stands committed to be a partner with the federal government if this comes here.”

The FBI headquarters has been a matter of national and regional political football for more than a decade, with some arguing for the bureau to stay in D.C., and others promoting a move to either Virginia or Maryland. The project has the potential to bring thousands of jobs and spur economic growth.

During Trump’s first term in the White House, he put the issue on hold, preferring to keep the bureau in its aging home in the J. Edgar Hoover Building in the District.

The site selection process was resurrected by congressional action in 2022, which culminated in a 2023 decision by the U.S. General Services Administration to place a future headquarters in Greenbelt. Maryland politicians cheered their apparent victory.

Virginia politicians cried foul, though an inspector general’s investigation found some problems — but no fatal flaws — in the selection process.

Trump has taken aim at federal agencies in his second term, and earlier this month, his administration briefly listed hundreds of federal government buildings for sale — including the FBI’s Hoover building.

Even before Trump was elected to his second term, Maryland leaders were worried that a victorious Trump might cancel the FBI move.

Trump had signaled his position last May, writing on his Truth Social account that the FBI should remain in Washington. He said a new FBI building in D.C. would be “THE CENTERPIECE OF MY PLAN TO TOTALLY RENOVATE AND REBUILD OUR CAPITAL CITY INTO THE MOST BEAUTIFUL AND SAFEST ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD.”

That Truth Social post also noted the proximity of the FBI and DOJ buildings, as he discussed again on Friday. “A TWO MINUTE WALK TO A MEETING IS FAR BETTER THAN A TRAFFIC LADEN TWO HOUR DRIVE TO GREENBELT, MARYLAND,” he wrote.

While the Department of Justice building and the Hoover building are across the street from each other, Greenbelt is not two or three hours away, as Trump suggested. Even during rush hour on Friday, the estimated drive time was 50 minutes. Taking the Metro is even quicker: It’s a 35-minute ride on the Green Line.

Madeleine O’Neill contributed to this story.