August 15, 2025executive orderMilitary PolicyLaw EnforcementCivil Libertiescivil libertiesmilitarylaw enforcement
Trump deploys armed National Guard alongside federalized D.C. police
Concurrent with completing the DC police federalization, Trump deployed hundreds of armed National Guard troops to Washington streets. Guard members carried loaded weapons and assumed patrol functions alongside metropolitan officers now under federal command. The dual deployment — both police federalization and active military-adjacent forces — created an unprecedented security apparatus in an American city during peacetime.