One year after President Donald Trump enraged liberals by deploying National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., their presence has become a familiar, and in some unexpected corners, celebrated reality. Self-described locals and visitors gave mixed reactions to the troops’ continued deployment in comments on Monday to the Washington Examiner.Trump’s deployment initially unified left-wing activists around expressing their outrage through “Free DC” rallies and routine noise demonstrations with pots and pans. Democrats in Congress called the move “authoritarian” or dictator-like. Many who spoke to the Washington Examiner on the eve of the anniversary, however, did not share that anger despite some continuing to disapprove of the deployment.
The troops began patrolling on Aug. 11 at populated areas such as Metro train stations, as part of Trump’s wide-ranging response to crime in the district. The president moved to extend the troops’ deployment across the district until 2029, when he leaves office.Reactions from those interviewed by the Washington Examiner on Monday ranged from praising the troops to declaring they need to “go back where they came from,” in the words of a woman walking by the McPherson Square Metro station.“I do love what President Trump is doing, and I feel secure with the National Guard, 100%,” a woman at the Farragut North Metro station said.Others seemed more apathetic about the troops.“I haven’t had too many interactions, but never felt anything negative in that way,” said a young man at Union Station named Nick, who said he was from Fairfax, Virginia.“I’d say I’m more on the neutral side,” said a man outside the Farragut West station who called himself a business owner. “I think there is a little bit of a sense of additional safety that comes from it, right? They are kind of around every corner or two or three. And so, if something were to be happening, I think there’s a chance they could see it and put a stop to it.”The National Guard troops’ actions in Washington tend to be hands-off compared to police officers, although they maintain an imposing presence inside Metro stations where people may attempt to jump fare gates without paying, the Washington Examiner observed. However, one Washington woman claimed in a July lawsuit that National Guard troops “violently” detained her on her property in May after she was accused of pouring liquid on troops in a prior incident.Former FBI Special Agent Stuart Kaplan said that even though the National Guard troops do not make arrests, their visibility alone can deter muggings, burglaries, vandalism, and other quality-of-life offenses.National Guard troops monitor the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. (Graeme Jennings/Washington Examiner)
