WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is expected to greet law enforcement personnel and National Guard troops in Washington, D.C., on Thursday and thank them for their efforts to carry out the anti-crime measures his administration has imposed on the city, a White House official said.
The official did not provide details on the location or timing of the visit, which will give the president a firsthand look at how his directives are affecting the capital.
Earlier Thursday, Trump revealed his plans in an interview on the conservative radio program “The Todd Starnes Show.”
“I’m going to be going out tonight, I think with the, with the police, with the — and with the military, of course,” Trump announced. “So we’re going to do a job. The National Guard is great, they’ve done a fantastic job.”
The move comes amid protests and criticism from some D.C. residents, who are against the deployment of hundreds of National Guard troops to the city by Trump and the Republican governors of half a dozen states.
Trump’s decision to surge National Guard troops into the district and exert influence over the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department marked an extraordinary push that was condemned by critics as overreach, but framed by the White House as necessary to combat crime. The White House has touted the effort on a daily basis since the stepped up security measures were implemented.
At the time of the announcement, D.C. police data indicated that violent crime had decreased 26% compared to the same time last year. NBC News previously reported that since then, the Justice Department has launched an investigation into whether Washington, D.C., police manipulated data to make crime rates appear lower than they are.
NBC Washington reported last month that a police commander, Michael Pulliam, was put on leave after the department began probing allegations he altered crime data. Pulliam has denied the allegations.
Trump’s decision to send troops into the city as part of his anti-crime push marked an increased willingness by his administration to deploy the National Guard, which is typically only called upon to respond to situations like natural disasters and civil unrest. Earlier this year, the Trump administration also sent the National Guard into to Los Angeles to respond to anti-immigration raid protests.
Trump’s visit Thursday comes after Vice President JD Vance thanked troops in D.C.’s Union Station on Wednesday alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller.
