Three Republican-led states to send hundreds of National Guard troops to
Washington
[August 18, 2025]
By MATT BROWN and MIKE PESOLI
WASHINGTON (AP) — Three Republican-led states said Saturday that they
were deploying hundreds of National Guard members to the nation’s
capital to bolster the Trump administration’s effort to overhaul
policing in Washington through a federal crackdown on crime and
homelessness.
West Virginia said it was deploying 300 to 400 Guard troops, while South
Carolina pledged 200 and Ohio says it will send 150 in the coming days,
marking a significant escalation of the federal intervention.
The moves came as protesters pushed back on federal law enforcement and
National Guard troops fanning out in the heavily Democratic city
following President Donald Trump's executive order federalizing local
police forces and activating about 800 District of Columbia National
Guard members.
By adding outside troops to the existing D.C. Guard deployment and
federal law enforcement presence, Trump is exercising even tighter
control over the city. It’s a power play that the president has
justified as an emergency response to crime and homelessness, even
though city officials have noted that violent crime is lower than it was
during Trump’s first term in office.
National Guard members have played a limited role in the federal
intervention so far, and it’s unclear why additional troops are needed.
They have been patrolling at landmarks like the National Mall and Union
Station and assisting law enforcement with tasks including crowd
control.
National Guard members are coming from West Virginia, South Carolina
and Ohio
The Republican governors of the three states said they were sending
hundreds of troops at the request of the Trump administration.
West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey said he directed 300 to 400 Guard
troops to head to Washington, adding that the state “is proud to stand
with President Trump in his effort to restore pride and beauty to our
nation’s capital.”
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster said he authorized the deployment of
200 of his state’s National Guardsmen to help law enforcement in
Washington at the Pentagon's request. He noted that if a hurricane or
other natural disaster strikes, they would be recalled.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said he would send 150 military police from the
Guard to “carry out presence patrols and serve as added security” and
that they were expected to arrive in the coming days. His statement said
Army Secretary Dan Driscoll requested the troops.
The activations suggest the Trump administration sees the need for
additional manpower after the president personally played down the need
for Washington to hire more police officers.
Protest pushes back on federal crackdown in Washington
A protest against Trump’s intervention drew scores to Dupont Circle on
Saturday before a march to the White House, about 1.5 miles away.
Demonstrators assembled behind a banner that said, “No fascist takeover
of D.C.,” and some in the crowd held signs saying, “No military
occupation.”
Morgan Taylor, one of the protest organizers, said they were hoping to
spark enough backlash to Trump’s actions that the administration would
be forced to pull back on its crime and immigration agenda.
“It’s hot, but I’m glad to be here. It’s good to see all these people
out here,” she said. “I can’t believe that this is happening in this
country at this time.”
Fueling the protests were concerns about Trump overreaching and that he
had used crime as a pretext to impose his will on Washington.
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A first sergeant with the District of Columbia National Guard
watches as activists protest President Donald Trump's federal
takeover of policing of the District of Columbia, Saturday, Aug. 16,
2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
John Finnigan, 55, was taking a bike ride when he ran into the
protest in downtown Washington. The real estate construction manager
who has lived in the capital for 27 years said Trump's moves were
“ridiculous” because crime is down.
“Hopefully, some of the mayors and some of the residents will get
out in front of it and try and make it harder for it to happen in
other cities,” Finnigan said.
Jamie Dickstein, a 24-year-old teacher, said she was “very
uncomfortable and worried” for the safety or her students given the
“unmarked officers of all types” now roaming Washington and
detaining people.
Dickstein said she turned out to the protest with friends and
relatives to “prevent a continuous domino effect going forward with
other cities.”
Surge of federal law enforcement in Washington draws mixed
reactions
Federal agents have appeared in some of the city’s most highly
trafficked neighborhoods, garnering a mix of praise, pushback and
alarm from local residents and leaders across the country.
City leaders, who are obliged to cooperate with Trump’s order under
the federal laws that direct the district’s local governance, have
sought to work with the administration, though they have bristled at
the scope of the president’s takeover.
On Friday, the administration reversed course on an order that aimed
to place the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration as an
“emergency police commissioner” after the district’s top lawyer
sued.
After a court hearing, Trump's attorney general, Pam Bondi, issued a
memo directing the Metropolitan Police Department to cooperate with
federal immigration enforcement regardless of any city law.
City officials say they are evaluating how to best comply.
In his order Monday, Trump declared an emergency due to the “city
government’s failure to maintain public order.” He said that impeded
the “federal government’s ability to operate efficiently to address
the nation’s broader interests without fear of our workers being
subjected to rampant violence.”
In a letter to city residents, Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat,
wrote that “our limited self-government has never faced the type of
test we are facing right now.”
She added that if Washington residents stick together, “we will show
the entire nation what it looks like to fight for American democracy
— even when we don’t have full access to it.”
___
Associated Press writer Josh Boak contributed to this report.
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