Armed Ohio National Guard troops patrol Logan Circle in Washington, D.C., under Trump’s crime crackdown initiative, August 24, 2025. Image Credit: Jose Luis Gonzalez/Reuters
(The Post News) – As part of United States President Donald Trump’s crackdown on crime, National Guard troops patrolling Washington have started carrying weapons.
Officials confirmed to Reuters that Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has authorized hundreds of Guard personnel to carry M17 pistols or M4 rifles starting Sunday night. In a statement, the Guard’s Joint Task Force-DC said its personnel would only use force “as a last resort and solely in response to an imminent threat of death or serious bodily harm.”
The move marks an escalation of Trump’s crime initiative in the capital. Roughly 800 D.C. National Guardsmen were deployed earlier this month at Trump’s direction after he declared a public safety emergency, citing what he described as rising violent crime. The order gave the president authority over Washington’s police force, sparking controversy after residents reported an increase in stop-and-frisk tactics and questioning in several neighborhoods.
The president portrayed Washington as overwhelmed by violence, despite official city data showing that violent crime has declined since 2023. Trump also went on to state on 21 August, without evidence, that crime in the city had drastically decreased due to the Guard’s presence.
The president has also suggested expanding the crackdown to other Democrat-led cities such as Chicago and Baltimore. However, officials in both cities have rejected the idea. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott pointed to falling crime rates, with Baltimore recording its lowest homicide levels in more than five decades.
Democratic leaders, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, argue that Trump has no legal authority to unilaterally deploy troops in U.S. states without a governor’s approval. They accuse him of attempting to “manufacture a crisis” for political gain.
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