US National Guard troops in Washington to begin carrying weapons, officials say

US National Guard troops patrolling the streets of Washington as part of what President Donald Trump said was his crackdown on crime will begin carrying weapons on the night of Aug 24, two officials said.

The exact number of troops who would carry their weapons was fluid, but they will carry either their M17 pistols or M4 rifles, according to the officials who spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to discuss the matter.

Hundreds of unarmed National Guard troops have been on Washington’s streets for the past two weeks after Mr Trump declared a crime emergency in the district. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth last week authorised the troops to carry weapons.

The Guard’s Joint Task Force-DC said in a written statement on Aug 24 that its personnel would use force only “as a last resort and solely in response to an imminent threat of death or serious bodily harm”.

Meanwhile, Mr Trump, a Republican, has said he would probably expand his crime crackdown to Chicago, intervening in another city governed by Democrats. And on Aug 24, he suggested the possibility of deploying troops to Democratic-run Baltimore in Maryland.

Democratic House of Representatives Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said on Aug 24 that Mr Trump did not have the authority to deploy troops to Chicago as the Pentagon carried out initial planning for a possible deployment.

US officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said there had been initial planning at the Pentagon about what a deployment of National Guard troops to Chicago would look like.

One official said the plans were part of the military’s efforts to anticipate any requests by Mr Trump and noted that senior Pentagon officials have not yet been briefed on them. It is not uncommon for the Pentagon to plan for potential deployments before formal orders are given.

Mr Jeffries said any move to deploy troops to Chicago was an attempt by Mr Trump to manufacture a crisis. Crime, including murders, has declined in Chicago in the last year.

“There’s no basis, no authority for Donald Trump to potentially try to drop federal troops into the city of Chicago,” he told CNN’s State Of The Union on Aug 24.

Mr Jeffries cited comments made by Mr J.B. Pritzker, the Democratic governor of Illinois, which includes Chicago, who said there was no emergency warranting the deployment of the National Guard or other military.

Levelling criticism at Democratic Governor Wes Moore over crime levels in Baltimore, Mr Trump said he was prepared to deploy troops there, too.

In July, the Baltimore police department said there had been a double-digit reduction in gun violence compared with the previous year. The city has had 84 homicides so far in 2025 – the fewest in over 50 years, according to the mayor.

“If Wes Moore needs help... I will send in the ‘troops’, which is being done in nearby DC, and quickly clean up the crime,” Mr Trump said on his Truth Social platform on Aug 24.

Some Republican governors have sent hundreds of National Guard troops to Washington at Mr Trump’s request. The President has depicted the capital as being in the grip of a crime wave. Official data shows crime is down in the city.

On Aug 24, he asserted without evidence that there was now no crime in the city and credited it to his deployment of troops and hundreds of federal law enforcement personnel.

Mr Trump has much less power over Chicago and Baltimore than he does over the District of Columbia, where as President he holds more sway.

Title 10 of the US Code, a federal law that outlines the role of the US Armed Forces, includes a provision allowing the president to deploy National Guard units to repel an invasion, to suppress a rebellion, or to allow the president to execute the law.

Mr Trump cited this provision, known as Section 12406, when he sent National Guard units to California earlier in 2025 to counter protests, over the objections of Governor Gavin Newsom.

In the case of Chicago, which is a so-called sanctuary city, Mr Trump may argue local laws that bar city officials from cooperating with federal immigration agents prevent the president from executing the law, justifying the military presence.

Mr Trump is almost certain to face legal challenges if he uses Section 12406 to send National Guard troops from Republican-led states into Democratic strongholds.
REUTERS