NG Troops in Washington to Begin Carrying Weapons

WASHINGTON — National Guard troops patrolling the streets of Washington, D.C., as part of President Donald Trump’s anti-crime initiative will begin carrying weapons on Sunday night, two U.S. officials confirmed.

The number of armed personnel has not been finalized, but troops will be issued either M17 pistols or M4 rifles, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss details.

For the past two weeks, hundreds of unarmed Guard members have been stationed in the capital after Trump declared a public safety emergency. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last week approved the authorization for troops to carry weapons.

In a statement Sunday, the Guard’s Joint Task Force–DC emphasized that force would only be used “as a last resort and solely in response to an imminent threat of death or serious bodily harm.”

Trump has also signaled plans to extend his crackdown beyond Washington. On Sunday, he suggested deploying troops to Chicago and Baltimore, two Democratic-run cities, despite opposition from local leaders.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries rejected the idea, saying Trump lacked the authority to send troops to Chicago, where the Pentagon has already begun preliminary planning. “There’s no basis, no authority for Donald Trump to potentially drop federal troops into the city of Chicago,” Jeffries said on CNN, noting that crime in the city has actually declined over the past year. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker also dismissed the need for such a deployment.

Trump, however, accused Maryland Governor Wes Moore of failing to control crime in Baltimore and said he was prepared to send troops there as well. Baltimore officials reported earlier this year that the city had seen its lowest homicide count in over five decades.

The president has far greater control over Washington, D.C., than over states such as Illinois and Maryland, giving him broader authority to deploy the Guard in the capital. He has cited Section 12406 of Title 10 of the U.S. Code — a provision that allows the president to deploy National Guard units in cases of invasion, rebellion, or to enforce federal law. Trump invoked the same law earlier this year to send troops to California during protests, despite objections from Governor Gavin Newsom.

Legal experts say Trump is likely to face significant court challenges if he uses Section 12406 to send National Guard troops from Republican-led states into Democratic-run cities.