Republican-led states to send hundreds more National Guard troops to D.C. National Guard troops in Washington may soon carry weapons, a reversal of their initial orders.
They followed West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey, who said 300 to 400 National Guard troops would be called up.
The new deployments, marking a major escalation of President Donald Trump’s efforts to take over law enforcement in the nation’s capital, came amid indications that the troops may soon be carrying weapons, a reversal of their initial orders.
The troops are still awaiting written instructions from senior Defense Department officials, one of several people familiar with the planning said. They spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the fluid situation.
Initial deployment orders specified that National Guard personnel, while wearing body armor, would leave their weapons at the armory. “They will not be armed, nor will they have weapons in their vehicles,” an Army statement said Thursday.
A White House official, responding to questions, said that the National Guard troops “may be armed, consistent with their mission and training, to protect federal assets, provide a safe environment for law enforcement officers to make arrests, and deter violent crime with a visible law enforcement presence.”
“The National Guard is not making arrests at this time,” the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity under rules set by the White House.
A D.C. National Guard spokesman, Capt. Tinashe Machona, referred questions about a change in weapons policy to the office of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, which referred questions back to the National Guard.
Machona said that while “we are aware that other states want to participate,” he had no specifics regarding their number of when they would be deployed.
In announcing the D.C. National Guard deployments, Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson told reporters Thursday that the troops will not be conducting law enforcement activities during their mobilization in D.C.
Protests over the deployment of National Guard troops in D.C. have been sporadic. On Saturday, a group confronted some service members on Constitution Avenue with signs and chants of “Free D.C.” before police separated the crowd from the troops.
The Trump administration has cast the deployments as part of an effort to battle crime that is out of control, despite violent crime in D.C. being on a decline since 2023, The Washington Post previously reported.
During protests over the death of George Floyd in 2020, Trump augmented a deployment of the D.C. National Guard, which he controls, by asking for assistance from National Guard units in other states. Many red states answered the call, while governors in blue states balked. The result was an unprecedented deployment in the nation’s capital that military historians said was supported almost entirely by troops sent by Republican governors.
For the most part, the D.C. troops deployed over the past several days have positioned themselves outside federal buildings and monuments and Union Station, and have rarely been seen in the vicinity of Department of Homeland Security and FBI officers who have become highly visible on the street, clearing homeless encampments and making what the Justice Department said Saturday have been 189 arrests, including 75 by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Morrisey, the West Virginia governor, said Saturday that his state’s National Guard deployment to D.C. will be funded at the federal level and that troops will be provided with mission-essential equipment and specialized training.
“West Virginia is proud to stand with President Trump in his effort to restore pride and beauty to our nation’s capital,” Morrisey wrote in a statement Saturday. “The men and women of our National Guard represent the best of our state, and this mission reflects our shared commitment to a strong and secure America.”
DeWine, according to local Ohio reports, said Guard members from his state would “carry out presence patrols and serve as added security.”
Summary:
The comments express strong opposition to West Virginia deploying National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., viewing it as a wasteful and politically motivated action. Many commenters argue that West Virginia should focus on its own issues, such as drug abuse and economic challenges, rather than participating in what they see as a political theater to support President Trump's image. Concerns are also raised about the potential for violence and the historical precedent of Kent State, with some commenters fearing an authoritarian shift in governance.
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