Shouts of ‘Free D.C.' as Vance visits troops deployed in U.S. capital
U.S. Vice President JD Vance was met with jeers and shouts of 'Free D.C.' while visiting troops in Washington on Wednesday, as the National Guard said forces from multiple Republican-led states had arrived in the capital.
U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the deployment of the National Guard in Washington last week as part of what he has billed as a crackdown on crime in the city, despite statistics showing violent offenses were down.
The D.C. National Guard mobilized 800 troops for the mission, while Ohio, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia are sending a total of around 1,200 more.
Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller visited troops at Washington's Union Station Wednesday.
Loud boos could be heard from outside as Vance walked into a fast food restaurant at the train station, and people also shouted slogans including 'Free D.C.! Free D.C.!' as he greeted troops and spoke with reporters.
Vance dismissed the hecklers as 'a bunch of crazy protesters,' saying: 'We hear these people outside screaming 'Free D.C.' Let's free D.C. from lawlessness. Let's free Washington, D.C. from one of the highest murder rates in the entire world.'
The vice president's visit to Union Station came as the National Guard posted photos on social media showing personnel from the Republican-led states of Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and West Virginia arriving at the D.C. Armory.
'Guardsmen continue to support law enforcement partners in safeguarding property and ensuring the functions of government,' the post on X said.
The overwhelmingly Democratic U.S. capital faces allegations from Republican politicians that it is overrun by crime, plagued by homelessness and financially mismanaged.
However, data from Washington police shows significant drops in violent crime between 2023 and 2024, although that was coming off the back of a post-pandemic surge.
Trump has also sought to take full control of the local Washington police department, attempting at one point to sideline its leadership.
After a legal challenge, the Trump administration agreed to allow the police chief to remain in charge, while requiring the police to assist immigration enforcement.
The deployment of troops in Washington comes after Trump dispatched the National Guard and Marines to quell unrest in Los Angeles, California that was spurred by immigration enforcement raids.
That deployment marked the first time since 1965 that a U.S. president deployed the National Guard against the wishes of a state governor.
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