National Guard troops on DC streets for Trump's crackdown will start
carrying guns
[August 23, 2025]
By KONSTANTIN TOROPIN, MATT BROWN and CHRIS MEGERIAN
WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered National
Guard troops to start carrying firearms while patrolling the streets of
Washington for President Donald Trump’s law enforcement crackdown, the
Pentagon said Friday.
The Defense Department didn’t offer any other details about the new
development or why it was needed. Hegseth referred to it as “common
sense” on social media.
No troops have been spotted yet with firearms around the city in the
hours after the announcement. But the decision is an escalation in the
Republican administration's intervention in the nation's capital and
comes as nearly 2,000 National Guard members have been stationed in the
heavily Democratic city.
Some local officials were harshly critical, with D.C. Councilmember
Charles Allen saying Trump's actions are “not of a president, but of
someone on the march to an authoritarian takeover.”
Trump initially called up 800 members of the District of Columbia
National Guard to assist federal law enforcement in his bid to crack
down on crime, homelessness and illegal immigration. Since then, six
Republican-led states have sent troops to the city, growing the military
presence.
It's unclear how long the deployment will last.
“If I have to, I’ll declare a national emergency, which I don’t think
I’ll have to do,” Trump said.
He suggested that he could take a similar approach in other cities, such
as Chicago and maybe New York.
“After we do this, we’ll go to another location, and we’ll make it safe
also,” Trump said in the Oval Office. Referring to Chicago as “a mess,”
he said, “that will be our next one after this.”
National Guard troops are visible around Washington
There were no signs that the National Guard's role in D.C. would be
changing. The troops have not taken part in law enforcement and largely
have been protecting landmarks including the National Mall and Union
Station and helping with crowd control.
Some troops have fed squirrels. One Guard member helped a woman carry
her belongings down the stairs in a train station. Others have been seen
taking photos with passers-by, standing around chatting and drinking
coffee. There have been no overt indications that they have faced
threats that would require weapons.
D.C. Councilmember Christina Henderson said Trump was “inviting
confrontation where there doesn’t need to be any.
Trump has boasted that the city is safer than ever because of his
intervention. He told reporters Friday that “it’s a miracle what’s
happened.”
“D.C. was a hellhole,” he said. “But now it's safe.”
He suggested that he could prolong the deployment of troops and federal
agents in Washington.
“The big question is how long do we stay?” he said. “Because if we stay,
we want to make sure it doesn’t come back. So we have to take care of
these criminals and get them out.”
Trump said he would ask Congress for $2 billion to improve the
appearance of the city, including resurfacing roads and replacing
streetlights. He’s previously pledged to improve the grass to look like
one of his golf courses.
“It’s going to be safe, and it’s going to be beautified,” he said.
Trump’s decision to seek more money for sprucing up Washington comes
months after the Republican-controlled Congress passed legislation that
essentially forced a $1.1 billion budget cut on the city. Local leaders
have pleaded for a fix, but to no avail.
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National Guardsmen patrol near the U.S. Capitol, Friday, Aug. 22,
2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
Adding armed troops to a city already on edge
Tensions have flared at times in the streets of D.C. since Trump's
intervention began, especially involving federal agents carrying out
immigration enforcement. Some fear arming the National Guard could
exacerbate the situation.
Alex Wagner, a former chief of staff to the Army secretary and assistant
secretary for the Air Force during Democratic administrations, said
asking troops to carry firearms is a “recipe for disaster.”
He said most National Guard members don’t have the right training for
Trump’s law enforcement crackdown and are being put in a “no-win
situation.”
“Do they have any role that would require them to have firearms? No,” he
said.
However, Wagner said, if there are confrontations, “the White House can
spin that to their political advantage.”
Protests have occasionally popped up around the city since the
intervention began, with the largest of them attracting a few hundred
people.
City officials are in a difficult position
The city's police department and the offices of Mayor Muriel Bowser and
Attorney General Brian Schwalb were notably silent when asked for
comment about the National Guard decision.
As a federal district, the city government’s powers are broadly
delegated to it by Congress, providing few avenues to formally resist
Trump’s plans. Local officials have been walking a tightrope between
acknowledging constituents’ concerns and antagonizing Trump, who has
threatened even more aggressive action toward D.C.
City Council Chair Phil Mendelson wrote on social media that he had
discussed the effects of “the so-called crime emergency” and other
topics at a town hall Thursday night, while Council Member Brianne
Nadeau posted a link to report police misconduct to city officials.
The city had been informed about the intent for the National Guard to be
armed, a person familiar with the conversations said earlier this week.
The person was not authorized to disclose the plans and spoke on the
condition of anonymity.
Spokespeople for the District of Columbia National Guard and a military
task force overseeing all the guard troops in Washington did not
immediately respond to messages seeking comment.
D.C. schools are scheduled to start the new year Monday, and the
district sent a message to parents letting them know that law
enforcement action on school grounds can only take place “with a valid
warrant or a court order." The statement also said officers in schools
aren't working with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement.
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Associated Press writers Ashraf Khalil and Anna Johnson contributed to
this report.
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