The presence of National Guard troops in Washington, DC, is expected to expand Wednesday evening, according to a White House official, as President Donald Trump’s takeover of the city’s law enforcement continues to take shape.
A “significantly higher” National Guard presence is expected to be on the ground later in the day, the official said. The guard began to appear in the capital city on Tuesday with five armored personnel carriers notably parked near the Washington Monument.
The announcement of an expanded presence comes as Trump’s takeover of the city’s law enforcement enters its third day. It marks the president’s latest move in his effort to shape the city and its institutions.
The National Guard’s involvement could evolve depending on how they are ordered to support law enforcement. The Army said in a Monday statement the guard will be providing administrative and logistical support and back up other law enforcement officers patrolling the city.
“The National Guard is not arresting people,” a White House official told CNN. The official said the guard members have been given orders to assist federal and local law enforcement, but not make arrests. They are there to “create a safe environment for other officers,” the official said.
But as officials continue to develop the specifics of the guard members’ mission, the public can expect to see troops establishing a presence at various places around the city, including national monuments, a National Guard spokesperson told CNN.
The DC National Guard is working to establish a task force to organize the mission and formalize a chain of command, the spokesperson said.
The White House did not immediately say how many troops it expected in DC beginning Wednesday night. But the White House official said the guard’s presence would change from a nighttime posture to a 24/7 presence beginning in the evening.
Trump announced Monday he was taking over the city’s police department and ordering federal law enforcement to begin patrolling the city. Trump cited high-crime rates though city statistics show violent crime has dropped over the past two years after peaking in 2023.
US soldiers assigned to the 273rd Military Police Company, Washington, DC National Guard, take the oath of office on August 12. – Staff Sgt. Deonte Rowell/US Dept. of Defense
The White House said there were 43 arrests in DC on Tuesday night. A White House official said those arrests were all made by the new task force set up as part of the federal surge efforts. The task force includes both federal law enforcement and local DC police officers.
The president first mobilized federal law enforcement to patrol the city last week, following the assault of a former Department of Government Efficiency staffer in an attempted carjacking. Since that crackdown began Thursday, federal law enforcement made 103 arrests, the White House said.
The city averaged about 55 adult arrests per day in 2024, according to data kept by the city’s police department.
DC Mayor Muriel Bowser said she wants to make sure the federal law enforcement surge is useful to the city and implored residents to “stay safe” and “be smart.”
“I know people have democracy concerns and they want to express themselves, and this is still America,” Bowser said on Fox 5’s “Good Day DC.” “This is still our nation’s capital, and I just encourage everybody to be peaceful, follow the law and go about your daily lives.”
Also this week, the White House ordered a review of the Smithsonian Institution’s museums and exhibits to comply with a Trump directive that ordered the museum to remove “divisive” narratives.
And the president on Wednesday appeared at the Kennedy Center to announce recipients of its hallmark honors, the first since Trump took control of the arts institution’s board earlier this year.
There, he suggested he’ll ask Congress to extend federalization of the city’s police force beyond 30 days.
“If it’s a national emergency, we can do it without Congress, but we expect to be — before Congress very quickly,” Trump said. “And again, we think the Democrats will not do anything to stop crime, but we think the Republicans will do it almost unanimously.”
CNN’s Haley Britzky, Holmes Lybrand and Shania Shelton contributed to this report.
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