National Guard Troops in Washington to Begin Carrying Weapons as Trump Expands Crime Crackdown

by Emmitt Barry, with reporting from Washington D.C. Bureau Staff

(Worthy News) – National Guard troops deployed to the nation’s capital as part of President Donald Trump’s crackdown on violent crime will begin carrying weapons in the coming days, according to officials familiar with the planning.

The development marks a sharp escalation in the federalization of public safety in Washington, where more than 800 National Guard soldiers have been stationed since Tuesday. Until now, defense officials stressed that the troops would not be armed and that their weapons would remain secured in armories.

Troops, often spotted patrolling the National Mall and Union Station, have so far served a largely symbolic and logistical role–posing for photos with tourists, supporting administrative tasks, and providing crowd control. But additional reinforcements from West Virginia, South Carolina, and Ohio are now being dispatched, nearly doubling the size of the Guard presence to about 1,450 troops.

Local Frustrations Amid Security Surge

For residents like Ebony Payne, a neighborhood commissioner in Kingman Park, the federal presence has produced mixed emotions. She described nightly messages from neighbors reporting smashed car windows, shootings, and break-ins.

“We all wanted something to be done,” Payne told The Wall Street Journal. “It’s just really unfortunate that we are in this situation where there’s a sledgehammer on our city, because we couldn’t get a handle on our crime problem.”

Yet she noted the surge hasn’t touched her neighborhood, even though the D.C. Armory housing the Guard is only minutes away. “I was really expecting to see more,” she said.

The disconnect underscores the uneven nature of Trump’s “security surge,” which he unveiled on Aug. 11 as a campaign to “rescue our nation’s capital from crime, bloodshed, bedlam and squalor and worse.”

Arrests and Immigration Enforcement Dominate

Attorney General Pam Bondi said Sunday that the multiagency operation has already produced more than 300 arrests, including homicide, gun, and drug charges. Federal officers seized 15 firearms Saturday night alone. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reported detaining over 75 individuals for immigration violations.

The crackdown has drawn praise from Trump allies and some residents who credit the surge with restoring order in visible areas like downtown and the National Mall. But critics argue the most prominent outcomes so far align less with reducing violent crime than with advancing Trump’s broader policy agenda–especially immigration enforcement.

Political Backlash and Support

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser denounced the armed deployment as “#UnAmerican” in a post on X, joining critics who call Trump’s move an abuse of federal power. Data also show violent crime in Washington has fallen in recent months, further fueling opposition.

Still, Republican governors voiced support. West Virginia is sending up to 400 troops, South Carolina 200, and Ohio 150. “West Virginia is proud to stand with President Trump in his effort to restore pride and beauty to our nation’s capital,” said Gov. Patrick Morrisey.

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster noted that troops could be recalled if a hurricane strikes, while Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said the mission would add security patrols but stressed his Guard members are not currently serving as law enforcement at home.

With the expanded deployment and new rules authorizing Guard members to carry arms, the president’s initiative is poised to become one of the largest federal security interventions in Washington in decades. Trump has vowed it will remain “until I determine that conditions of law and order have been restored in the District of Columbia.”

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