(25 Aug 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Washington – 25 August 2025
1. Various of Tennessee National Guard armed with pistols walking around the Walter E. Washington Convention Center
++SOUNDBITE PARTIALLY COVERED++
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Mike Pesoli, The Associated Press:
"It’s a unique sight indeed to see members of the National Guard wearing fatigues and carrying weapons and walking around the nation’s capital as locals and tourists go about their day. But that’s exactly what’s happening in Washington right now as members of the National Guard are helping with President Donald Trump’s mission to lower crime and homelessness right here in Washington DC. There are currently over 2200 National Guard members mobilized in the District of Columbia. Now it’s worth noting not all of them are currently carrying weapons, only some of them, and they are here to assist local law enforcement on a broader mission of lowering these crime and homelessness rates. Now, some of these guard members are coming from the District of Columbia National Guard and 6 other Republican-led states whose governors sent them here to assist on this mission. It’s also worth noting that National Guard members have been seen cleaning areas and carrying garbage bags, and what they are saying is part of a broader beautification effort to improve neighborhoods."
3. STILL A member of the West Virginia National Guard gazes up at the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite ID 25237712531089)
4. STILL Armed members of the Ohio National Guard patrol at The Wharf (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin ID 25237712101470)
5. Members of the Louisiana National Guard patrol Union Station (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib ID 25237615447082)
6. STILL Armed members of the Ohio National Guard pass by children playing in a water feature at The Wharf (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin ID 25237718073490)
STORYLINE:
Some National Guard units in Washington are now carrying firearms in an escalation of President Donald Trump’s deployment.
It follows a directive issued late last week by Trump’s Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth.
A Defense Department official who wasn’t authorized to speak publicly said some units on certain missions would be armed — some with handguns and others with rifles. The spokesperson said that all units with firearms have been trained and are operating under strict rules for use of force.
A statement from the joint task force that has taken over policing in the nation’s capital said units began carrying their service weapons on Sunday and that the military’s rules say force should be used “only as a last resort and solely in response to an imminent threat of death or serious bodily harm.” It said the force is committed to protecting “the safety and wellbeing” of Washington’s residents.
Speaking in the Oval Office Monday, Hegseth said that it was common sense to arm them because it meant they were “capable of defending themselves and others.”
One of the duties for National Guard members in Washington will be cleaning up trash around the city, the military task force overseeing all the troops deployed to D.C. said Monday.
The D.C. National Guard posted a video on social media Saturday that showed troops cleaning up an area around a trail. They were shown hauling several garbage bags and cleaning up large amounts of rubber gloves from a park bench.
Officials said the effort is part of a broader “beautification” operation aimed at community restoration and improvement.
Task force officials wouldn’t offer details about how often troops have been asked to clean up areas in Washington.
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