President Donald Trump will patrol Washington DC streets alongside military and law enforcement officers tonight, marking his first boots-on-the-ground appearance since declaring a public safety emergency and deploying National Guard troops to the nation’s capital.
The White House confirmed the unprecedented patrol plan Thursday but declined to disclose specific timing or locations, citing security concerns. The move comes as Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that federal authorities have arrested 630 people and seized 86 illegal firearms since Trump placed DC police under federal control earlier this month.
“We’ve now made a total of 630 arrests and seized 86 illegal guns in DC,” Bondi said Thursday morning. “53 arrests were made yesterday, plus 24 ICE arrests and 10 guns taken off the streets.”
The Attorney General added that US Marshals had recovered a missing child during the ongoing operation, declaring: “Our mission to make DC safe again isn’t slowing down.”
Trump’s decision to personally patrol the streets follows Wednesday’s high-profile visit by Vice President JD Vance and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth to National Guard troops stationed at Union Station. The officials delivered burgers from Shake Shack to guardsmen but faced hostile protesters who chanted “Free DC” and hurled insults throughout their visit.
We appreciate everything you’re doing,” Vance told the troops whilst presenting burgers, adding that violent crime had dropped 35 per cent in just nine days of federal intervention. However, protesters’ chants frequently drowned out his remarks, with some shouting “couch f*cker” and “fascist scum” at the Vice President.
The federal takeover has deployed over 2,000 National Guard troops from six Republican-led states – West Virginia, South Carolina, Ohio, Mississippi, Louisiana and Tennessee – alongside the 800-strong DC National Guard. Federal agents from the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and other agencies have conducted round-the-clock patrols in what officials describe as high-crime areas.
Wednesday saw dramatic scenes when a 14-ton military vehicle collided with a civilian SUV in Capitol Hill, requiring firefighters to extract the trapped driver who suffered minor head injuries. The incident raised questions about deploying armoured combat vehicles on city streets, with one resident telling NBC Washington: “It’s a miracle nobody died. These streets weren’t made for tanks.”
DC Mayor Muriel Bowser has strongly opposed the federal intervention, despite Trump’s claims that crime is “out of control” in the capital. Police statistics show violent crime has actually decreased 26 per cent compared to last year, with the city experiencing a 30-year low in 2024.
“Most of the citizens who live in Washington, DC, are black,” White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller said during Wednesday’s Union Station visit. This is not a city that has had any safety for its black citizens for generations, and President Trump is the one who is fixing that.
The administration has also begun clearing homeless encampments across the capital, with White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirming that 70 camps have been removed. Those refusing to leave face fines or jail time, she warned, whilst offering transportation to shelters or mental health and addiction resources.
George Morgan, 65, who lived in an encampment near the Lincoln Memorial with his dog Blue, expressed confusion about where he would go. “Maybe the President will put me up in a hotel. That’s our President, correct?” he asked reporters as federal crews dismantled his tent.
A Washington Post-Schar School poll found that 65 per cent of DC residents don’t believe Trump’s actions will make the city safer from violent crime. The deployment is estimated to cost at least £800,000 ($1 million) per day, according to analysis conducted for The Intercept.
Wednesday night saw federal agents establish checkpoints in popular nightlife areas, including the 14th Street corridor where officers stopped cars and made arrests. More than 100 protesters gathered, warning drivers to avoid the checkpoint and chanting “get off our streets” until agents dispersed without major incident.
Vermont’s Republican Governor Phil Scott became the first GOP governor to refuse Trump’s request for National Guard troops, with his office stating he “declined to consider a request to deploy the Vermont National Guard for law enforcement activities in Washington, DC.
Maryland Governor Wes Moore, a Democrat and former Army captain, issued a sharp rebuke to Trump’s threats to send troops to Baltimore. “Unlike the president of the United States, I’ve actually worn the uniform of this country,” Moore said, emphasising his role as commander-in-chief of Maryland’s National Guard.
The federal operation has a 30-day legal limit, though Trump suggested Wednesday he may seek to extend it. Speaking at the Kennedy Center, he said: “If it’s a national emergency, we can do it without Congress, but we expect to be before Congress very quickly.”
Tonight’s patrol marks an escalation in Trump’s hands-on approach to what he calls “rescuing” the nation’s capital. The president has not personally patrolled streets since taking office, making this a significant symbolic gesture in his law-and-order campaign.
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Image Credit (Shortened):
Donald Trump at a Phoenix rally (18 Jun 2016) – by Gage Skidmore, licensed under CC BY‑SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
