President Donald Trump declared on Thursday that he will accompany National Guard troops and police officers on their patrol in Washington, D.C., while federal forces persist in their mission to “restore order” within the nation’s capital.
Trump revealed the plan during a radio interview Thursday morning, saying he would be “going out tonight” with police and military personnel.
“I’m planning to go out tonight with the police and the military, of course. We have a job to do,” Trump shared with conservative radio host Todd Starnes on his program. “The National Guard has been excellent. They’ve done an outstanding job.”
This announcement follows the deployment of nearly 2,000 National Guard troops in Washington due to the president’s executive order that declared a crime emergency, despite data indicating that violent crime in the city has decreased.
The D.C. National Guard is being assisted by units from West Virginia, South Carolina, Ohio, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Tennessee in their collaboration with local and federal law enforcement agencies.
Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller visited National Guard troops at Union Station on Wednesday to express gratitude for their service. Their presence was met by protests at the location, which Miller derisively commented on.
The proposed presidential patrol represents a rare public outing resembling Trump’s contentious visit to St. John’s Church during his first presidency. However, precise details concerning the patrol locations and security measures have not been provided.
Joint Task Force-DC currently has 1,997 soldiers and airmen mobilized, providing a visible presence at metro stations including Foggy Bottom, Smithsonian, Eastern Market and other locations throughout the district. The guardsmen are authorized to carry weapons depending on mission requirements and operate under civilian law enforcement authority.
White House officials said earlier Thursday that there had been more than 600 total arrests made since federal officers were deployed around the city on Aug. 7. Of those, 251 were arrests of immigrants in the country illegally, the White House said.
Critics of Trump’s aggressive crackdown across D.C. have pointed to statistics that show the city’s violent crime rate fell in 2024 and is down again in 2025. Also, some local residents have expressed their disapproval, protesting federal officers stationed in their neighborhoods.
A Washington Post-Schar School poll of 604 D.C. residents published Wednesday found 65% do not think Trump’s actions will make the city safer. Roughly 80% of residents said they opposed Trump’s executive order to federalize the city’s police department.
But White House officials have been adamant that statistics do not accurately capture the state of crime and decay in the nation’s capital.
partner The Hill contributed to this report.
