At the request of the president, West Virginia is sending in troops from its National Guard to support President Trump’s efforts in Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON — Less than 24 hours after the Trump administration lost a court battle over who controls the Metropolitan Police Department, the governor of West Virginia announced he was sending his state’s National Guard troops to support President Trump’s efforts in the nation’s capital.

The Mountain State is sending hundreds of troops to Washington, D.C. at the request of the president, according to a release from West Virginia state government.

“West Virginia is proud to stand with President Trump in his effort to restore pride and beauty to our nation’s capital,” said West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey. “The men and women of our National Guard represent the best of our state, and this mission reflects our shared commitment to a strong and secure America.”

According to the release, West Virginia’s National Guard will provide “mission-essential equipment, specialized training, and approximately 300-400 skilled personnel as directed.”

The news comes the day after the District of Columbia took the Trump administration to court over what they called an attempted “hostile takeover” of the city’s police department. The judge sided with D.C. on the issue.

“Chief [Pamela] Smith remains in control of the police department under the supervision of the mayor,” D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb said outside the courthouse on Friday. “[This is] a very important win for Home Rule today.”

On Thursday, Chief Smith signed an executive order limiting what her officers were allowed to do assisting Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the city. After that, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi attempted to install the head of the Drug Enforcement Agency, Terry Cole, in place of Smith as head of the police department ─ causing the U.S. capital to cry foul. The judge agreed.

Judge Ana Reyes, who presided over Friday’s hearing, also made it clear that under the Home Rule Act, she doesn’t see why President Trump can’t just ask Mayor Muriel Bowser to use her police officers for ICE enforcement.

Attorney General Schwalb said he hopes not to return to court over this issue again; however, the Department of Justice plans to rewrite part of Bondi’s order that named Cole as “emergency police commissioner.”

Members of the FBI and the Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) run at the Navy Yard–Ballpark metro station in Navy Yard in Washington, D.C., U.S., August 15, 2025. REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalez/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab

Summary Deployment includes 300-400 skilled personnel and equipment

Trump administration cites crime and homelessness emergency

D.C. officials negotiated to keep local police chief in charge

Aug 16 (Reuters) – West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey is deploying 300 to 400 National Guard troops to the District of Columbia at the request of the Trump administration, the governor’s office said on Saturday.

The deployment is “a show of commitment to public safety and regional cooperation” and will include providing equipment and specialized training alongside the “approximately 300-400 skilled personnel as directed,” Morrisey’s office said in a statement , opens new tab

Sign up here.

Drew Galang, a spokesperson for Morrisey, said the state’s National Guard received the order to send equipment and personnel to D.C. late on Friday and was working to organize the deployment.

Earlier this week, President Donald Trump said he was deploying hundreds of National Guard troops to Washington and temporarily taking over the city’s police department to curb what he depicted as a crime and homelessness emergency in the nation’s capital.

A White House official said on Saturday that more National Guard troops would be called in to Washington to “protect federal assets, create a safe environment for law enforcement officials to carry out their duties when required, and provide a visible presence to deter crime.”

A U.S. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said a formal order was expected to go out that would authorize National Guard troops in D.C. to carry firearms. The official said this would be mostly military police officers with sidearms. Reuters has previously reported that the National Guard troops would have weapons nearby, such as in their vehicles.

The White House said on Saturday that D.C. National Guard members have conducted patrols on foot and in vehicles around the National Mall and Union Station. The White House said the Guard troops are not making arrests at this time, and that they may be armed.

According to U.S. Justice Department data, violent crime in 2024 hit a 30-year low in Washington, technically a self-governing federal district under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Congress.

District of Columbia officials and the Trump administration negotiated a deal on Friday to keep D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s appointed police chief in charge of the police department after D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb filed a lawsuit to block the federal takeover of the department.

Trump, a Republican who has suggested he could take similar actions in other Democratic-controlled cities, has sought to expand the powers of the presidency in his second term, inserting himself into the affairs of major banks, law firms and elite universities.

It is not clear how the administration could deploy National Guard troops elsewhere. A federal judge in San Francisco is expected in the coming weeks to issue a ruling on whether Trump violated the law by deploying National Guard troops to Los Angeles in June without the approval of California Governor Gavin Newsom.

The National Guard serves as a militia that answers to the governors of the 50 states except when called into federal service. The D.C. National Guard, however, reports directly to the president.

Reporting by AJ Vicens in Detroit and Idrees Ali in Washington; Editing by Donna Bryson, Paul Simao and Matthew Lewis

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. , opens new tab

Share X

Facebook

Linkedin

Email

Link Purchase Licensing Rights

The move is the latest in the Republican administration’s trumped-up effort to crack down on crime and homelessness in the District of Columbia

Advertisement West Virginia sends hundreds of National Guard members to Washington at Trump team’s request The move is the latest in the Republican administration’s trumped-up effort to crack down on crime and homelessness in the District of Columbia Editorial Standards ⓘ

Members of the West Virginia National Guard will be deployed to the streets of the nation’s capital as part of the Trump administration’s effort to overhaul policing in the District of Columbia through a federal crackdown on crime and homelessness.Video above: National Guard begins deployment in DC amid Trump crime crackdownGov. Patrick Morrisey, R-W.Va., announced Saturday that he was sending 300 to 400 members of his state’s National Guard to nearby Washington at the Republican administration’s request. They will arrive in the District of Columbia along with equipment and specialized training services, his office said in a statement.”West Virginia is proud to stand with President Trump in his effort to restore pride and beauty to our nation’s capital,” Morrisey said. “The men and women of our National Guard represent the best of our state, and this mission reflects our shared commitment to a strong and secure America.”The move comes as federal agents and National Guard troops have begun to appear across the heavily Democratic city after Trump’s executive order on Monday, federalizing local police forces and activating about 800 D.C. National Guard troops for his plan.Maj. Gen. James Seward, West Virginia’s adjutant general, said in a statement that members of the state’s National Guard “stand ready to support our partners in the National Capital Region” and that the Guard’s “unique capabilities and preparedness make it an invaluable partner in this important undertaking.”Federal agents have appeared in some of the city’s most highly trafficked neighborhoods, garnering praise, pushback and alarm from local residents and leaders across the country.City leaders, who are obliged to cooperate with the president’s order under the federal laws that direct the district’s local governance, have sought to work with the administration, though they have bristled at the scope of the president’s takeover.

Hundreds of West Virginia National Guard members will deploy across the nation’s capital as part of the Trump administration’s effort to overhaul policing in the District of Columbia through a federal crackdown on crime and homelessness.

The move comes as federal agents and National Guard troops have begun to appear across the heavily Democratic city after Trump’s executive order on Monday, federalizing local police forces and activating about 800 D.C. National Guard troops.

By adding outside troops to join the existing National Guard deployment and federal law enforcement officers temporarily assigned to Washington, President Donald Trump is exercising even tighter control over the city. It’s a power play that the president has justified as an emergency response to crime and homelessness, even though district officials have noted that violent crime is lower than it was during Trump’s first term in office.

A protest against Trump’s intervention drew scores to Dupont Circle on Saturday afternoon before a march to the White House, about 1.5 miles away. Demonstrators assembled behind a banner that said “No fascist takeover of D.C.,” and some in the crowd held signs that said “No military occupation.” Trump was at his Virginia golf club after Friday’s summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.

Gov. Patrick Morrisey, R-W.Va., announced Saturday that he was sending a contingent of 300 to 400 members.

“West Virginia is proud to stand with President Trump in his effort to restore pride and beauty to our nation’s capital,” Morrisey said.

Morgan Taylor, one of the organizers who coordinated Saturday’s protest, said they were hoping to spark enough backlash to Trump’s actions that the administration would be forced to pull back on its crime and immigration agenda.

“It’s hot, but I’m glad to be here. It’s good to see all these people out here,” she said. “I can’t believe that this is happening in this country at this time.”

She added, “Any act of getting in the streets, any act of making noise, any act of showing a sense of community, taking care of one another, is an act of resistance.”

The West Virginia activation also suggests the administration sees the need for additional manpower, after the president personally played down the need for Washington to hire more police officers.

Maj. Gen. James Seward, West Virginia’s adjutant general, said in a statement that members of the state’s National Guard “stand ready to support our partners in the National Capital Region” and that the Guard’s “unique capabilities and preparedness make it an invaluable partner in this important undertaking.”

Federal agents have appeared in some of the city’s most highly trafficked neighborhoods, garnering a mix of praise, pushback and alarm from local residents and leaders across the country.

City leaders, who are obliged to cooperate with the president’s order under the federal laws that direct the district’s local governance, have sought to work with the administration, though they have bristled at the scope of the president’s takeover.

On Friday, the administration reversed course on an order that aimed to place the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration as an “emergency police commissioner” after the district’s top lawyer sued to contest. After a court hearing, Trump’s attorney general, Pam Bond, issued a memo that directed the Metropolitan Police Department to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement regardless of any city law.

District officials say they are evaluating how to best comply.

In his order on Monday, Trump declared an emergency due to the “city government’s failure to maintain public order.” He said that impeded the “federal government’s ability to operate efficiently to address the nation’s broader interests without fear of our workers being subjected to rampant violence.”

In a letter to city residents, Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, wrote that “our limited self-government has never faced the type of test we are facing right now.” She added that if Washingtonians stick together, “we will show the entire nation what it looks like to fight for American democracy — even when we don’t have full access to it.”

After United States President Donald Trump’s request, West Virginia is sending 300 to 400 National Guard personnel to Washington, DC to assist in the federal takeover of the city’s police department. West Virginia’s decision to assist the Trump administration was announced by Governor Patrick Morrisey on X. (AP)

Trump, earlier this week, activated hundreds of District of Columbia National Guard to back up local law enforcement, while calling a “crime emergency” in the US capital. While announcing the decision of federal takeover and deploying 800 National Guards at DC, Trump alleged that crimes in the capital had gone up.

West Virginia’s decision to assist the Trump administration was announced by Governor Patrick Morrisey on X.

“At the request of the Trump administration, I have directed the @WVNationalGuard to support the President’s initiative to make D.C. safe and beautiful. We are deploying 300-400 skilled personnel to the nation’s capital, reflecting our commitment to a strong and secure America,” Morrisey wrote on X.

The deployment comes under the comment of the state’s adjutant general, Maj. Gen. Jim Seward, who said that West Virginia was ready to support its “partners in the National Capital Region and contribute to the collective effort of making our nation’s capital a clean and safe environment.”

“The National Guard’s unique capabilities and preparedness make it an invaluable partner in this important undertaking,” Seward said in a statement.

Meanwhile, DC challenged the takeover of its police department in court on Friday. This came hours after the Trump administration took a major step, naming a federal official as the new emergency head of police the department, with all the powers of a police chief.

The fresh lawsuit, filed by District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb, said that the US President had gone far beyond his power under the law. Schwalb asked a judge to find that in such cases, the power remains with the police department and also sought an emergency restraining order.

“The administration’s unlawful actions are an affront to the dignity and autonomy of the 700,000 Americans who call D.C. home. This is the gravest threat to Home Rule that the District has ever faced, and we are fighting to stop it,” Shwalb said.