National Guard troops seem in Washington DC as mayor rejects Trump’s ‘authoritarian push’

US National Guard troops have begun showing on the streets of Washington DC, a day after President Donald Trump deployed the troops to the town and took management of its police drive as he argued violent crime was uncontrolled.

Armoured autos had been noticed at city centres and vacationer websites across the US capital on Tuesday night.

Officials have mentioned that 800 National Guard troops are anticipated to be deployed, in addition to 500 federal legislation enforcement brokers.

Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, who has denied crime is uncontrolled in her metropolis, described the troop deployment as an “authoritarian push”.

Trump, a Republican, has additionally threatened related deployments in opposition to New York and Chicago, two different cities managed by Democrats.

He has mentioned crime is on the rise within the cities together with in Washington DC, though evaluation by BBC Verify suggests a distinct pattern in DC.

Violent offences fell after peaking in 2023, and in 2024, they hit their lowest degree in 30 years, based on figures printed by Washington DC’s Metropolitan Police (MPDC).

They are persevering with to fall, based on preliminary knowledge for 2025.

Violent crime total is down 26% this 12 months in comparison with the identical level in 2024, and theft is down 28%, based on the MPDC.

The camouflaged troops have been trickling into the US capital since Trump’s announcement on Monday.

They have been seen erecting barricades exterior a number of authorities buildings, and taking photographs with vacationers.

Twenty-three individuals had been arrested by federal brokers on Monday night time, based on White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. The brokers are aiding native legislation enforcement.

She mentioned the arrests had been for murder, gun offences, drug dealing, lewd acts, stalking, reckless driving, and different crimes.

“This is only the beginning,” mentioned Leavitt.

“Over the course of the next month, the Trump administration will relentlessly pursue and arrest every violent criminal in the District who breaks the law, undermines public safety, and endangers law-abiding Americans.”

FBI Director Kash Patel later mentioned FBI brokers had been concerned in round half of these arrests.

Both the mayor of Washington and the town’s police chief mentioned earlier within the day they shared the identical purpose because the federal brokers.

“What I’m focused on is the federal surge and how to make the most of the federal officers that we have,” Bowser mentioned after a gathering on Tuesday with US Attorney General Pam Bondi.

Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith mentioned: “We know that we have to get illegal guns off of our streets, and if we have this influx of enhanced presence, we know that it’s going to make our city even better.”

But at a city corridor on Tuesday night time, the mayor sharpened her criticism of Trump.

Bowser referred to as on neighborhood members to “protect our city, to protect our autonomy, to protect our home rule and get to the other side of this guy and make sure we elect a Democratic House so that we have a backstop to this authoritarian push”, based on the New York Times.

It comes as a manhunt was launched for an armed assailant who killed a person on Monday night time in Logan Circle, one in every of Washington DC’s trendiest neighbourhoods, only a mile from the White House.

It was the one hundredth murder recorded in Washington DC this 12 months, based on native media.

Police say the suspect was final seen sporting a black shirt and carrying a rifle.

The capturing prompted US Secret Service to bolster safety exterior the president’s house as a precaution.

Despite crime figures exhibiting a lower in violent offences, DC Police Union chairman Gregg Pemberton has mentioned the town police division is “deliberately falsifying crime data, creating a false narrative of reduced crime while communities suffer”.

FBI knowledge has additionally indicated a drop in crime in Washington DC final 12 months – a extra modest lower of 9%.

Studies counsel the capital’s murder price is larger than common in contrast with different main US cities.