National Guard presence causes headaches, backlash in DC
A National Guard vehicle collided with a civilian car early Wednesday morning in Washington, D.C., an incident that comes as a new poll found a majority of the city’s residents are opposed to President Trump’s takeover.
The collision, which happened at the intersection of 8th Street SE and North Carolina Avenue SE — approximately a mile away from the U.S. Capitol — caused the civilian driver to be trapped in the car. They were rescued and transported to a local hospital with minor injuries, according to D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department.
The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) said officers responded to reports of the crash at 6:18 a.m. EDT and “upon arrival officers discovered a two-car accident involving a government vehicle.”
The military vehicle was a D.C. National Guard Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected All-Terrain Vehicle and was part of a five-vehicle convoy and an MPD cruiser, the National Guard said in a statement reported by local news outlets.
The National Guard’s presence in D.C. which has doubled this week from around 800 to close to 1,900 — along with Trump’s takeover of the city’s police department, hasirked a large number of residents. The guardsmen have been seen mainly in historically low-crime areas such as Union Station, as well as the National Mall and other monuments.
During a photo op with the guardsmen stationed in the city Wednesday, protesters booed Vice President Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller. The three officials Vance were visiting Union Station, blocks from the U.S. Capitol, to thank the troops at a Shake Shack.
The protesters shouted “Free D.C.,” at the three men, drowning out much of what they said when they tried to speak to reporters.
Asked why troops were stationed at Union Station instead of areas of the city with higher crime rates, Vance claimed the station was overrun with homeless people, making visitors feel unsafe.
In a new survey, released The Washington Post, shows 69 percent of participants said they “strongly” oppose the president’s decision to take federal control over the Metropolitan Police Department, and 10 percent said they “somewhat” oppose the move.
Only 9 percent said they “strongly” approve of the Trump administration’s federalization of local police, while 8 percent said they “somewhat” support the crackdown on crime. About 4 percent said they had no opinion, the poll found.
Trump has sought to justify his decision by pointing to violent crimes and carjackings in the nation’s capital. The argument comes as data shows crime in the District has slowed in recent months. The Justice Department announced this week that it launched a probe into the crime data.
As the survey shows, many D.C. residents are frustrated by the administration’s show of force.
“Trump’s overheated rhetoric about D.C. crime has evoked strong feelings among many residents offended by such characterizations of their city,” said Mark Rozell, dean of George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government, which co-sponsored the poll.
South Carolina, West Virginia and other states have deployed their own National Guard troops to help with the president’s police takeover. The president has also pushed to extend the federalization of law enforcement beyond the 30 days allowed under the city’s Home Rule Act.
“This doesn’t make sense. You know it doesn’t make sense,” D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) said during a recent press conference. “The numbers on the ground in the District don’t support a thousand people from other states coming to Washington, D.C. You know that.”
Welcome to The Hill’s Defense & National Security newsletter, I’m Ellen Mitchell — your guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond.
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Upcoming things we’re watching in and around the defense world:
Brookings Institutionwill have a discussion on “Replicator and Beyond: The Future of Drone Warfare,” at 10 a.m.
Heritage Foundationwill host a conversation on “Trump’s New Counterterrorism Strategy Landscape,” with Sebastian Gorka, deputy assistant to the president and senior director for counterterrorism at the National Security Council, at 2 p.m.
What We’re Reading
News we’ve flagged from other outlets:
The US Navy is building a drone fleet to take on China. It’s not going well. (Reuters)
