3 weeks ago
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(NewsNation) — President Donald Trump announced Thursday helium volition articulation National Guard troops and constabulary connected patrol successful Washington, D.C., arsenic federal forces continue efforts to “restore order” successful the nation's capital.
Trump revealed the program during a vigor interrogation Thursday morning, saying helium would beryllium "going retired tonight" with constabulary and military personnel.
“I’m going to beryllium going retired tonight, I think, with the constabulary and with the military, of course. So we’re going to bash a job,” Trump told blimpish vigor big Todd Starnes connected his show. “The National Guard is great. They’ve done a fantastic job.”
The announcement comes arsenic astir 2,000 National Guard troops stay deployed successful Washington pursuing the president's enforcement bid declaring a transgression emergency despite statistic showing violent transgression has declined successful the city.
The D.C. National Guard, joined by units from West Virginia, South Carolina, Ohio, Mississippi, Louisiana and Tennessee, has been supporting section and federal instrumentality enforcement efforts.
Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and lawman main of unit Stephen Miller met with National Guard troops astatine Union Station connected Wednesday to convey them for their work. The officials were greeted with protests astatine the proscription hub, which Miller mocked.
The planned statesmanlike patrol would people an antithetic nationalist quality reminiscent of Trump's arguable locomotion to St. John's Church during his archetypal term. However, circumstantial details astir locations and information arrangements person not been disclosed.
Joint Task Force-DC presently has 1,997 soldiers and airmen mobilized, providing a disposable beingness astatine metro stations including Foggy Bottom, Smithsonian, Eastern Market and different locations passim the district. The guardsmen are authorized to transportation weapons depending connected ngo requirements and run nether civilian instrumentality enforcement authority.
White House officials said earlier Thursday that determination had been much than 600 full arrests made since national officers were deployed astir the metropolis connected Aug. 7. Of those, 251 were arrests of immigrants successful the state illegally, the White House said.
Critics of Trump’s assertive crackdown crossed D.C. person pointed to statistic that amusement the city’s convulsive transgression complaint fell successful 2024 and is down again successful 2025. Also, immoderate section residents person expressed their disapproval, protesting national officers stationed successful their neighborhoods.
A Washington Post-Schar School poll of 604 D.C. residents published Wednesday recovered 65% bash not deliberation Trump’s actions volition marque the metropolis safer. Roughly 80% of residents said they opposed Trump’s enforcement order to federalize the city’s constabulary department.
But White House officials person been adamant that statistic bash not accurately seizure the authorities of transgression and decay successful the nation’s capital.
NewsNation spouse The Hill contributed to this report.
