Three Republican-led states to send hundreds of National Guard troops to Washington
West Virginia said it is sending 300 to 400 troops, South Carolina committed 200, and Ohio pledged 150 military police in the coming days.
The reinforcements follow Trump's executive order federalizing the D.C. police force and activating around 800 District of Columbia National Guard members.
By expanding the military footprint in the Democratic-controlled city, Trump is tightening federal control under the justification of a public safety emergency, despite city leaders noting that violent crime is lower now than during his first term in office.
National Guard troops, who have so far played limited roles, have been seen patrolling prominent landmarks like Union Station and the National Mall. Their presence now appears set to grow significantly.
West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey, in a statement, said his state 'is proud to stand with President Trump in his effort to restore pride and beauty to our nation's capital,' confirming the deployment of up to 400 soldiers.
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster said the 200 troops he is sending were requested by the Pentagon. He added that in the event of a natural disaster, they would be recalled.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced his state would send 150 military police to 'carry out presence patrols and serve as added security,' after receiving a formal request from Army Secretary Dan Driscoll.
The buildup comes as Trump downplays the need for D.C. to expand its local police force, instead relying on federal law enforcement and military support.
Protesters gathered at Dupont Circle on Saturday before marching to the White House, denouncing the president's move as authoritarian. Chants of 'No fascist takeover of D.C.' rang out, and demonstrators held signs reading 'No military occupation.'
'It's hot, but I'm glad to be here,' said Morgan Taylor, one of the organizers. 'I can't believe this is happening in this country at this time.'
John Finnigan, a longtime D.C. resident, called the deployment 'ridiculous,' arguing that Trump was using crime as a pretext to seize control of local policing.
Others expressed alarm over the appearance of unmarked federal agents and the implications for civil liberties. 'It's very uncomfortable and worrying,' said Jamie Dickstein, a 24-year-old teacher who joined the protest with friends and family.
While city officials are legally obligated to comply with the federal order under D.C.'s governance laws, they have pushed back against the scope of Trump's actions.
On Friday, the administration rescinded a controversial plan to name the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration as 'emergency police commissioner,' after the D.C. attorney general filed suit. However, Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a memo that directed D.C. police to cooperate with federal immigration authorities, overriding local sanctuary laws.
Trump's executive order declared an emergency due to what he called the 'city government's failure to maintain public order.' He said the unrest endangered federal operations and personnel in the capital.
Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, responded with a letter to residents urging unity. 'Our limited self-government has never faced the type of test we are facing right now,' she wrote. 'But if we stick together, we will show the entire nation what it looks like to fight for American democracy — even when we don't have full access to it.' — Agencies
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Arab News
2 hours ago
- Arab News
Russia agrees on security guarantees to Kyiv but Moscow also needs them, Russian diplomat says
NEW YORK: Russia agrees that any future peace agreement on Ukraine must provide security guarantees to Kyiv but Moscow also needs credible security assurances, Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia's envoy to international organizations in Vienna, said early on Monday. 'Many leaders of #EU states emphasize that a future peace agreement should provide reliable security assurances or guarantees for Ukraine,' Ulyanov said on X. 'Russia agrees with that. But it has equal right to expect that Moscow will also get efficient security guarantees,' he added. Ulyanov's statement confirmed Trump envoy Steve Witkoff's earlier statement that Putin agreed at his summit with President Donald Trump that the United States and its European allies could offer Ukraine a security guarantee resembling NATO's collective defense mandate as part of an eventual deal to end the war. 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'President Zelensky of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight,' he wrote. 'Remember how it started. No getting back Obama given Crimea (12 years ago, without a shot being fired!), and NO GOING INTO NATO BY UKRAINE. Some things never change!!!' Hammering out a plan for security guarantees Article 5, the heart of the 32-member transatlantic military alliance, says an armed attack against a member nation is considered an attack against them all. What needed to be hammered out at this week's talks were the contours of any security guarantees, said Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who also participated in the summit. Ukraine and European allies have pushed the US to provide that backstop in any peace agreement to deter future attacks by Moscow. 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Rubio, appearing on several TV news shows Sunday, said it would have been impossible to reach any truce Friday because Ukraine was not there. 'Now, ultimately, if there isn't a peace agreement, if there isn't an end of this war, the president's been clear, there are going to be consequences,' Rubio said on ABC's 'This Week.' 'But we're trying to avoid that.' Rubio, who is also Trump's national security adviser, also voiced caution on the progress made. 'We're still a long ways off,' he said. 'We're not at the precipice of a peace agreement. We're not at the edge of one. But I do think progress was made toward one.' Land swaps are on the table Among the issues expected to dominate Monday's meeting: What concessions Zelensky might accept on territory. In talks with European allies after the summit, Trump said Putin reiterated that he wants the Donetsk and Luhansk regions that make up the Donbas, European officials said. It was unclear among those briefed whether Trump sees that as acceptable. Witkoff said the Russians have made clear they want territory as determined by legal boundaries instead of the front lines where territory has been seized. 'There is an important discussion to be had with regard to Donetsk and what would happen there. And that discussion is going to specifically be detailed on Monday,' he said. Zelensky has rejected Putin's demands that Ukraine give up the Donbas region, which Russia has failed to take completely, as a condition for peace. In Brussels, the Ukrainian leader said any talks involving land must be based on current front lines, suggesting he will not abandon land that Russia has not taken. 'The contact line is the best line for talking, and the Europeans support this,' he said. 'The constitution of Ukraine makes it impossible, impossible to give up territory or trade land.'
Al Arabiya
2 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Zelenskyy to return to Oval Office for first time since tense Trump, Vance meeting
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Al Arabiya
3 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Trump says Zelenskyy can end war with Russia ‘almost immediately' or ‘continue to fight'
US President Donald Trump on Sunday urged Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy to come to a negotiated settlement in the three-and-a-half-year-old conflict with Russia. 'President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight,' Trump said on his Truth Social platform. 'No getting back Obama given NO GOING INTO NATO BY UKRAINE. Some things never change!!!'
