Is President Trump’s Unprecedented D.C. National Guard Deployment Justified?
- Better American Media
- Aug 15
- 3 min read
On August 11, 2025, President Donald Trump signed a presidential memorandum titled “Restoring Law and Order in the District of Columbia,” an unprecedented move to take control of Washington D.C.’s law enforcement. The order directs the mobilization of the D.C. National Guard and places D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department under temporary federal control, bypassing the city’s elected leadership.
President Trump attempted to justify the action by portraying Washington as gripped by “lawlessness,” even though violent crime in D.C. has been on a sharp decline – reaching a 30-year low in 2024 and dropping further in 2025.
FAQ on the D.C. National Guard Deployment
How does this compare to President Trump’s Use of Guard in Washington DC During His First Term as President?
During President Trump’s first term, two extraordinary deployments occurred in Washington DC.
Roughly 1,300 DC Guard plus approximately 3,900 out-of-state Guard were deployed during the June 2020 George Floyd protest response. At the time, Mayor Bowser did “request the aid of an unarmed contingent of the District of Columbia National Guard” but her June 3, 2020 Mayor’s Order was clear that she did not request “any additional National Guard members from any state.” And, on June 4, 2020 she sent a letter to President Trump requesting withdrawal of all out-of-state stating: “The deployment of federal law enforcement personnel and equipment are inflaming demonstrators and adding to the grievances of those who, by and large, are peacefully protesting.”
On Jan. 6, 2021, when the U.S. Capitol was violently attacked, the Guard was not fully activated until around 3:04 p.m. despite a written request from Mayor Bowser for support on December 31, 2020. While Trump claimed he “immediately deployed national guard” on Jan 6, it has been investigated and made clear that he “was not part of the decision-making that day.” And, the subsequent reports and investigations reveal in the timeline of activities that the Secretary of Defense, not President Trump, activated the Guard on Jan 6.
What are the terms for Trump's Order?
Trump’s order can stand for up to 30 days before he needs Congressional approval.
Did the mayor request the Guard; is that necessary, or does the President have authority?
Mayor Bowser did not request this 2025 deployment; Trump acted unilaterally to take temporary control of MPD and deploy Guard forces.
A mayoral request is not required. By law, the President is commander in chief of the D.C. National Guard and may also direct the D.C. police to provide services for federal purposes under Section 740 of the Home Rule Act (with a 48‑hour notification rule and a 30‑day cap absent congressional extension).
The Mayor called the President’s order “unsettling and unprecedented”. The Mayor has stated that while the city is obligated to cooperate, the organizational structure of the Metropolitan Police Department will not change.
“Let me be clear, as our home rule charter is also clear, and the executive order also states, Chief Pamela Smith is the chief of the Metropolitan Police Department and its 3100 members work under her direction. The home rule charter requires the mayor to provide the services of MPD during special conditions of an emergency, and we will follow the law. Though, there is a question about the subjectivity of that declaration.”
Are D.C. crime rates up or down?
The Metropolitan Police Department of Washington DC’s official dashboard shows 2025 YTD violent crime down ~26% vs. the same period in 2024.
2024 violent crime was the lowest in 30+ years, per the U.S. Attorney’s Office for D.C.
The Washington DC Council issued a statement calling Trump’s deployment of the guard a “manufactured intrusion on local authority” and “an unnecessary deployment with no real mission.”