President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he plans to join National Guard troops and local police on patrols of Washington, D.C., on Thursday night, getting a first-hand look at the controversial deployment of military forces to the nation’s capital.
During a radio appearance with host Todd Starnes, Trump said that the Guardsmen deployed around Washington have “done a fantastic job” and said he was planning to join them this evening on their rounds.
White House officials did not immediately release any details of the event.
Currently, about 800 D.C. National Guard personnel and around around 1,100 more Guardsmen from six states have been deployed throughout the city following Trump’s declaration of a “public safety emergency” in the district earlier this month.
Federal authorities have set up checkpoints to screen vehicles around the city, although critics have said much of the show of force has taken place in areas without significant crime issues.
White House officials said that in the last two weeks, law enforcement personnel have made more than 630 arrests (many for immigration violations) and seized 59 firearms. National Guard members are not directly making any arrests.
On Wednesday, during a photo op at Union Station, protesters jeered Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller as they met with Guard troops. But the administration officials dismissed the taunts and expressed confidence in the deployment success so far.
Also on Wednesday, a Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected All-Terrain Vehicle traveling as part of a convoy crashed into a civilian near Capitol Hill. The driver of the SUV had to be freed from the vehicle by firefighters and was sent to a nearby hospital with a minor head laceration, according to the local fire department.
Leo covers Congress, Veterans Affairs and the White House for Military Times. He has covered Washington, D.C. since 2004, focusing on military personnel and veterans policies. His work has earned numerous honors, including a 2009 Polk award, a 2010 National Headliner Award, the IAVA Leadership in Journalism award and the VFW News Media award.
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