National Guard troops that President Donald Trump has sent to Washington, D.C., “may be armed” a White House official told CBS News on Saturday, a departure from a previous statement.
Officials said earlier this week that the troops would not be armed, and that weapons would not be in their vehicles, either. “Weapons are available if needed but will remain in the armory,” the Army said in a press release on Thursday.
On Saturday, the Trump administration changed course, according to reports.
“The National Guard is not making arrests at this time — they may be armed, consistent with their mission and training, to protect federal assets, provide a safe environment for law enforcement officers to make arrests, and deter violent crime with a visible law enforcement presence,” the official told CBS News.
The president is broadly forbidden from using the military as a domestic police force under the Posse Comitatus Act. While the troops are not allowed to make arrests, they are allowed to “temporarily detain individuals to prevent imminent harm,” according to the Army.
Some National Guard troops were told Friday to expect an order instructing them to carry weapons, The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday.
A National Guard spokesman also told CBS News that troops “may be armed consistent with their mission and training,” and that “their presence is focused on supporting civil authorities and ensuring the safety of the community they serve.”
Also on Saturday, several Republican governors pledged to send troops to D.C. in support of Trump’s initiative. West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey said he would deploy hundreds of National Guard troops to the capital.
“West Virginia is proud to stand with President Trump in his effort to restore pride and beauty to our nation’s capital,” Morrisey said in a press release. “The men and women of our National Guard represent the best of our state, and this mission reflects our shared commitment to a strong and secure America.”
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Meanwhile, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster said he would send 200 troops and Gov. Mike DeWine of Ohio pledged 150.
Trump announced Monday that he was deploying the National Guard and putting the capital’s Metropolitan Police Department under federal control “to rescue our nation’s capital from crime, bloodshed, bedlam and squalor and worse.” Attorney General Pam Bondi, he said, would take control of the city’s Metropolitan Police Department — an effort the administration partially walked back on Friday.
Under the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, the president is allowed to take control of the police during an emergency for 48 hours at a time. Trump moved to replace the district’s police chief; the Justice Department changed course at the urging of a federal judge.
Trump’s decision to deploy the National Guard to D.C. and his attempt to direct the police took place after former Department of Government Efficiency staffer Edward Coristine, known as “Big Balls,” was assaulted by a group of teenagers earlier this month. Trump said Coristine, who works for the Social Security Administration, “was left dripping in blood. He thought he was dead with a broken nose and concussion.”
In 2020, during the first Trump administration, 62,000 National Guard Soldiers and Airmen were activated in 23 states and Washington, D.C. in response to protests of the police killing of George Floyd.
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In June, Trump deployed the National Guard to Los Angeles following protests over aggressive Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids and courthouse arrests.
Trump suggested Monday that he could send the National Guard to more cities.
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“We have other cities also that are bad,” he said. “We’re not going to let it happen. We’re not going to lose our cities over this. And this will go further. We’re starting very strongly with D.C., and we’re going to clean it up real quick, very quickly.”
This article was updated with additional Republican governors pledging to send more National Guard troops to support Trump’s D.C. initiative.
