'Crime emergency', Trump announces patrolling of Washington streets with National Guard

 'Crime emergency', Trump announces patrolling of Washington streets with National Guard

US President Donald Trump has announced that he will patrol the streets of Washington with military personnel. According to the   AFP news agency, President Trump says that a show of force is necessary to deal with the 'crime emergency' facing the capital, Washington, DC.

Despite local protests and a falling crime rate according to government figures, President Trump last week called hundreds of National Guardsmen to Washington, shouting, “We will take back our capital.”

“I plan to go out tonight with the police and the military. We will do our job,” Republican President Trump told the right-wing private TV channel Newsmax in an interview.

The announcement came at a time when just a day earlier, Vice President J.D. Vance faced a strong public reaction during a meeting with soldiers stationed in Washington, with chants against him and protesters chanting “Free DC.”

According to reports, 800 National Guardsmen have been deployed to Washington, while Republican-majority states Ohio, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia have sent an additional 1,200 personnel. These National Guardsmen have been seen stationed at the National Mall, monuments, baseball stadiums and other important places in the city.

According to the report, with the deployment of the National Guard, Trump has also tried to gain control over the command of Washington's police, ignoring the advice of its top leadership.

Six citizens have welcomed these measures, while many have complained that “this is an unnecessary show of force and this demonstration is not visible in areas where crime rates are high.”

On Wednesday, Vice President J.D. Vance, along with Defense Secretary Pat Hegseth and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, visited Washington’s Union Station to meet with officials deployed there. On this occasion, the Vice President faced strong slogans and protests from the public.

J.D. Vance ignored the protests and called them a “group of crazy protesters.”

On the other hand, several incidents of law enforcement actions against Washington citizens who opposed these measures of the Trump administration have gone viral on social media.

According to one such viral video, a citizen threw a sandwich at the National Guard and was arrested. Wall chalking has been done across the city in favor of the arrested person, who has the word “Sandwich Guy” written on his face.

According to the National Guard, its personnel are performing tasks such as crowd control, patrolling and monitoring various locations to assist the police.

Republican politicians allege that Washington is suffering from crime, rising homeless numbers and mismanagement, but according to police data, the crime rate, which increased after the global pandemic Covid-19, has decreased significantly between 2023 and 24.

It should be remembered that President Trump has previously deployed the National Guard and US Marines to Los Angeles to maintain law and order and to deal with unrest arising during the operation against refugees.

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