National Guard troops begin carrying weapons in US capital

National Guard troops begin carrying weapons in US capital
by AFP Staff Writers
Washington (AFP) Aug 25, 2025

The National Guard began carrying weapons Sunday in the US capital Washington, where President Donald Trump has deployed more than 2,200 troops as part of a crackdown on crime, the military said.

"Starting the late evening of August 24, 2025, JTF-DC service members began carrying their service-issued weapon," the Joint Task Force-DC -- to which the National Guard troops are assigned -- said in a statement.

They are only authorized to use force "as a last resort and solely in response to an imminent threat of death or serious bodily harm," the statement said.

A US defense official had said on Friday that troops deployed in Washington would "soon" be carrying weapons, which were previously available if needed but kept in the armory.

The National Guard troops come from overwhelmingly Democratic Washington as well as the Republican-led states of West Virginia, South Carolina, Ohio, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Tennessee.

Republican politicians -- led by Trump -- have claimed that the US capital is overrun by crime, plagued by homelessness and financially mismanaged.

Data from Washington police, however, showed significant drops in violent crime between 2023 and 2024, though that was coming off a post-pandemic surge.

But Trump has accused Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser of "giving false and highly inaccurate crime figures," threatening "bad things" including a total federal takeover of the city if she does not stop doing so.

In addition to the deployment of the National Guard, federal law enforcement personnel -- including Immigration and Customs Enforcement -- have also recently surged their presence on Washington's streets, drawing protests from residents.

Trump clashes with Democrats as he expands National Guard plans
Washington (AFP) Aug 25, 2025 - Donald Trump threatened to deploy National Guard troops Sunday to yet another Democratic stronghold, the Maryland city of Baltimore, as the US president seeks to expand his crackdown on crime and immigration.

The Republican's latest online rant about an "out of control, crime-ridden" city comes as Democratic state leaders -- including Maryland Governor Wes Moore -- line up to berate Trump on a high-profile political stage.

Trump this month deployed the National Guard to the streets of Washington, in a widely criticized show of force the president said amounts to a federal takeover of US capital policing.

The Guard began carrying weapons in Washington on Sunday, the military said. Previously, their weapons were available if needed but kept in the armory.

In June Trump controversially ordered nearly 5,000 troops to Los Angeles -- ostensibly to quell protests against immigration enforcement raids -- triggering ferocious opposition from California Governor Gavin Newsom, widely seen as a potential 2028 presidential hopeful.

And US media is reporting that the Trump administration also is planning an unprecedented deployment of thousands of National Guard personnel to Chicago, the country's third-largest city, prompting vocal pushback from Democrats there.

As for Baltimore, "if Wes Moore needs help, like Gavin Newscum did in L.A., I will send in the 'troops,' which is being done in nearby DC, and quickly clean up the Crime," Trump posted on his Truth Social platform, using a derogatory nickname.

Trump's feud with Moore appeared to escalate dramatically this week, with the governor assailing Trump's provocative suggestion of deploying troops in Maryland and Trump calling Moore "nasty" and threatening to revoke federal funds to help fix a collapsed bridge.

On Sunday, Moore told CNN he had invited Trump to walk the streets of Baltimore with him so the governor could counter "this blissful ignorance, these tropes and these 1980 scare tactics" used by the president.

"Hey Donald, we can get you a golf cart if that makes things easier," Moore needled the 79-year-old Trump on X.

Trump for his part said he would "much prefer that he clean up this Crime disaster before I go there for a 'walk,'" as he cited Moore's "very bad" record on crime.

Moore said Maryland's homicide rate has dropped more than 20 percent since he has been governor, "and the last time the homicide rate was this low in Baltimore City, I was not born yet."

Moore, 46, is a US Army veteran, best-selling author, and the third African-American person elected governor of a US state.

- Chicago 'next' -

The Pentagon meanwhile refused to confirm reports that Chicago would soon receive troops.

Trump had said Friday that Chicago and New York -- major Democratic-led cities -- would receive National Guard deployments similar to Washington.

"We're going to make our cities very, very safe," Trump told reporters at the White House. "I think Chicago will be our next and then we'll help with New York."

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, both Democrats, strongly rejected the idea.

"Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans are trying to paint their party as one of 'law and order,'" Pritzker posted on X. "That couldn't be further from the truth."

Chicago recorded 573 homicides in 2024, according to city police, eight percent lower than the year before.