Topline
The National Guard will send more troops into Washington, D.C., Wednesday night, the White House confirmed to Forbes in an email, deploying them to support hundreds of federal agents in the capital as President Donald Trump looks to extend his crackdown and control of the city’s police force beyond 30 days.
800 National Guard members have been activated for Trump’s capital takeover.
Photo by Peter W. Stevenson/The Washington Post via Getty Images
Key Facts
The White House confirmed to Forbes earlier reports that more National Guard troops will be in D.C. on Wednesday night, supporting federal patrols that will shift to around-the-clock operations instead of just evening and night assignments.
Thirty National Guard members were deployed on D.C.’s streets Tuesday night, according to multiple outlets, a fraction of the 800 members activated the night before as part of the “D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force.”
The White House, which did not provide a number on how many members would be deployed Wednesday night, has said the National Guard is assisting federal agents in a supportive capacity and are not able to make arrests themselves.
Wednesday marks the third day of Trump’s crime crackdown and control of D.C.’s police force, which comes even though the city recorded a 30-year low in violent crime last year.
The president, who took control of the police force through an executive order signed Monday, is looking to extend the 30-day limit on his control of local law enforcement and falsely claimed Wednesday he did not need congressional approval to do so.
National Guardsmen parked near the Washington Monument.
Photo by Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images
Members of the National Guard and Air National Guard depart the D.C. Armory.
Photo by Pete Kiehart for The Washington Post via Getty Images
A member of the U.S. Army sets up metal fences in front of the National Guard’s headquarters.
Photo by Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images
A National Guard member speaks to a member of the U.S. Park Police.
Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images
A sign saying “FREE DC” is seen near the U.S. Capitol. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Getty Images
What To Watch For
If Trump tries to extend his control of Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department past 30 days without Congress, the president could be sued. However, it is possible he could get the congressional approval needed to continue controlling the police force, as Republicans hold the majority in the House and Senate.
Key Background
Of the 1,450 law enforcement officers on the streets of D.C. Tuesday night, about half were from the Metropolitan Police Department, Time reported. All together, law enforcement made 66 arrests on Monday and Tuesday. While the federal government can only take control of the city’s police department for 30 days under the law, there isn’t a similar limit on Trump’s use of the National Guard in the city. The president recently used the National Guard to respond to anti-immigration raid protests in Los Angeles, doing so without California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s approval in a move that is actively being challenged in court by Newsom, who alleged Trump used National Guard members as “props in the federal government’s propaganda machine.” The president has suggested he is considering crackdowns similar to D.C.’s in cities like Chicago, New York City, Baltimore and Oakland, California, claiming the cities are “so far gone.”
Further Reading
Trump Claims He Can Extend DC Police Control Without Congress—Here’s Why That’s False (Forbes)
National Guard Deployed To D.C. Streets In Second Night Of Trump’s Capitol Takeover (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/antoniopequenoiv/2025/08/13/more-national-guard-troops-will-be-in-dc-tonight-white-house-says/