Following the reinforcement of troops from multiple states to Washington D.C. and the investigation launched by the U.S. Department of Justice against the Washington police, on the 21st local time, U.S. President Trump took a new action: to patrol the streets of Washington together with law enforcement agencies.
Although the police force in Washington has been continuously strengthened, analysts believe that the National Guard is unable to solve security problems and that the U.S. government’s actions are primarily politically motivated.
△ Trump preparing to patrol with law enforcement officials in Washington (Image from Congress Hill Newspaper)
On the 21st local time, U.S. President Trump left the White House and was prepared to start patrol with law enforcement officials on the streets of Washington.
Subsequently, according to Associated Press reports, Trump returned to the White House after an approximately 35-minute trip to the U.S. Park Police.
Previously, Associated Press reported that Trump planned to join the patrol operation in Washington D.C. on the 21st evening. At the same time, federal authorities set up checkpoints around the city and sometimes asked people they intercepted about their immigration status.
On August 11th, U.S. President Trump announced the deployment of the first batch of 800 National Guard members to Washington D.C., as well as the takeover of the Washington Metropolitan Police Department by the federal government, in order to address the frequent violent crimes and excessive homelessness in the Washington area. Recently, the Trump administration has increased the number of National Guard members stationed in the District of Columbia from 800 to nearly 1,900, leading to increasing dissatisfaction among local residents.
National Guard members entering Washington
△ U.S. National Guard members and armored vehicles on duty in Washington D.C. (Stock image)
According to a report by The Washington Post on the 19th, Republican governors from Mississippi, Louisiana, and Tennessee announced on the same day that they would send National Guard reinforcements to Washington D.C..
Previously, five “red states” led by Republicans, including West Virginia, had announced their response to the president’s call to “deploy troops” to the capital.
About 1,200 National Guard members have been stationed in Washington. Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser criticized the influx of National Guard members from other states as “unreasonable”.
On social media on the 19th, Brian Schwab, the Attorney General of Washington D.C., wrote: “We need to be clear that armed soldiers should not be responsible for law and order management among American citizens on U.S. soil. This will not strengthen the security in Washington D.C., but will undermine public safety.”
Manipulating crime data?
△ The investigation of the Washington D.C. police by the Department of Justice
△ Trump’s post on social media on August 18th
On August 18th, Trump posted on social media, “Washington D.C. is providing false crime data to create a false sense of security. This is a very bad and dangerous practice, and they are now under severe investigation.”
The Washington Post quoted sources on the 19th, saying that the U.S. Department of Justice has begun investigating whether Washington D.C. manipulates statistics and deliberately underreports crime rates.
△ The U.S. Department of Justice (image)
知情人士透露，这项调查由联邦检察官办公室负责，由检察官珍尼娜·皮罗领导，预计将审查多名警方官员的行为。目前尚不清楚华盛顿特区警方官员会受到哪些指控，但篡改联邦数据可能构成欺诈、妨碍司法公正或作出虚假陈述。
Washington protesters: National Guard get out
The incident continued to escalate. On the 20th, local time, U.S. Vice President Pence, Defense Secretary Haigseith, and Deputy Director of the White House Office Stephen Miller traveled to Washington D.C.’s Union Station to meet with National Guard troops deployed there.
At the station hall, Pence and his team were attacked by protesting civilians. The protesters shouted slogans calling for the National Guard to “get out of Washington.”
NPR reported that the deployment of troops from multiple “red states” to Washington marked a “significant escalation” of federal intervention in local affairs. At a protest in Washington on the 16th, protesters held signs with slogans such as “Oppose Fascist Takeover of Washington” and “Oppose Military Occupation” to express their discontent.
Multiple doubts raised over government’s “troop deployment”
The deployment of troops by the Trump administration to Washington has sparked multiple doubts among U.S. public opinion.
U.S. public opinion believed that the Trump administration had exaggerated the security problems in Washington
The White House had previously stated that the crime problem in Washington had “spiraled out of control.” However, data released by Washington police earlier this year showed that the number of violent crimes in Washington in 2024 had dropped by 35% compared to 2023, reaching the lowest level in 30 years. U.S. public opinion believed that the Trump administration’s statements were clearly inconsistent with the facts and data.
National Guard may not be able to solve Washington’s security problems
According to U.S. media reports, the deployment of the National Guard in Washington mostly focuses on tourist attractions where tourists are concentrated, which is more symbolic than practical.
Donna Haven, an expert on U.S. soil security issues, stated that the core responsibility of the National Guard is not to maintain urban security, and their abilities and experiences in dealing with urban crimes and building community trust are limited.
The Trump administration practices “double standards” in the use of the National Guard.
Some media outlets have pointed out that Trump previously claimed he had no authority to deploy the National Guard to respond to the “Capitol Hill riots” in January 2021, but now he is deploying troops to Washington D.C. under the guise of maintaining law and order. This practice clearly demonstrates double standards.
In addition, some critics also believe that Trump is “misusing” military resources. Jack Reed, a Democratic senator, stated that it is not the task of the military to perform daily domestic law enforcement duties, and that “this deployment is a serious misuse of the National Guard’s time and manpower.”
The U.S. government’s actions are “driven by partisan purposes from the beginning.”
In the view of analysts, the true purpose of Trump’s deployment of troops to Washington D.C. is not to maintain law and order, but rather political motives such as shifting public attention, consolidating the “base,” and engaging in partisan games.
Trump’s decision to deploy troops to Washington D.C. at this time also involves considerations of creating topics and shifting public attention. According to卡斯·米德, a professor at Georgia University, Trump’s primary goal in deploying troops is to keep the Epstein case out of political debates and public opinion.
Trump also intends to cater to conservative voters through this action. Washington D.C. has a high proportion of African Americans, and both the mayor and the police chief are African American women. Analysts believe that Trump devalues the governance abilities of African American and female officials by deploying troops, which caters to his administration’s opposition to policies of diversity, equity, and inclusivity.
There are also analyses pointing out that some U.S. cities with a high proportion of ethnic minorities tend to vote for the Democratic Party in elections, which is a major “pain point” for the Trump administration.米德 stated that Trump reinforces the perception that “cities under Democratic control are closely linked with violent crimes” and否定the Democratic Party’s governance abilities.
Peter Feaver, a political science professor at Duke University, said that Trump’s deployment of the National Guard to Washington D.C. was “driven by partisan purposes from the beginning.”