Trump allows use of 'lethal weapons' in DC, escalates military takeover, plans to get into action on more crime-ridden cities
26-Aug-2025.
From now on in the streets of Washington DC the National Guard troops will be armed with guns and will answer directly to President Donald Trump.
The Trump administration is doubling down on its crime crackdown in the capital by empowering the troops with service-issued weapons.
Some troops now carry guns, including m4 carbine rifles and m17 pistols, a spokesperson for the guard told.
Cameras captured troops on August 24 marching across the heart of Washington near metro stations and the National Mall with guns to their side.
‘Members are allowed ‘use of force only as a last resort and solely in response to an imminent threat of death or serious bodily harm’, the guard stated.
Over 2,000 troops from six different GOP-led states have been sent into Washington after Trump issued an executive order federalizing the police in the city earlier this month.
The Pentagon stated the National Guard’s mission is still focused on being seen as a visible deterrent to crime while supporting law enforcement.
Troops may temporarily detain a suspect until police arrive at the scene; however, they do have the ability to make arrests if asked by the Trump administration under Title 32 orders.
The troops ‘will continue protecting federal assets including officers providing a safe environment for officers to make arrests if needed, and providing a visible law enforcement presence to deter crime, as they have been since the operation began’, according to a White House official.
Trump wants to replicate this military takeover in other Democratic cities infested with crime.
Last week, the president said he was considering sending troops into Chicago and New York to conduct a similar crackdown operation.
However, Trump made a similar threat while engaging in an online duel with Maryland Gov. Wes Moore on Sunday.
Moore has criticized the president for taking away authority from local city police in the name of combatting crime.
The Democratic governor then invited Trump to Maryland to discuss solutions for crime and empowering public safety officials.
Trump replied by claiming Moore had ‘a rather nasty and provocative tone’ and suggested he would send in troops to clean up his state.
‘Wes Moore’s record on Crime is a very bad one, unless he fudges his figures on crime like many of the other ‘Blue States’ are doing,’ Trump wrote.
‘But if Wes Moore needs help, like Gavin Newscum did in L.A., I will send in the “troops,” which is being done in nearby DC, and quickly clean up the Crime.’
The FBI reports that over 500 arrests have been made by a coalition of federal law enforcement agencies since the start of Trump’s DC crackdown over the last few weeks.
