Democrats Send National Guard to DC for First Time

WASHINGTON — For the first time since President Trump controversially deployed the National Guard to the nation’s capital in August 2025, Democratic governors from four states have sent their own Guard members to Washington, D.C., according to NPR. The deployments come as the city prepares for America 250 celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, and as a separate legal battle over a protester’s detention by National Guard patrols reached a settlement.

Democratic Governors Enter the Fray

Kentucky and North Carolina each sent a single Guard member in recent weeks, followed by Michigan, which deployed more than 100 troops, and Minnesota, which sent 107. The governors have stated that their troops are intended solely to assist with crowd management and logistics for the America 250 celebrations on July 4, not for the law enforcement patrols that have become a hallmark of the Trump administration’s ongoing military presence in the city.

However, all four states’ troops are listed as part of the federal Joint Task Force numbers coordinating Trump’s deployment — a designation that has sparked confusion and pushback. Scottie Ellis, communications director for Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, told NPR that the Kentucky Guard member “was assigned to D.C. under a different order and then diverted to the task force by the federal government without the knowledge or consent of Gov. Beshear or the Kentucky Guard.” Ellis said a request has been made for reassignment, and if that is not seen through, “they will be recalled and return to Kentucky.”

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s office similarly expressed confusion. “There might be a mix-up here,” wrote Bobby Leddy, Whitmer’s communications director, in an email to NPR. “The Michigan National Guard are deployed only to support the America 250th celebration activities, not for the Joint Task Force mission.”

A Blurred Line Between Celebrations and Occupation

More than 4,800 uniformed National Guard members are currently patrolling residential streets, city parks, and metro stops across Washington — a number that has nearly doubled in the past month due to a “summer surge” ahead of America 250. The deployment costs upwards of $2.8 million per day, according to a Congressional Budget Office estimate.

Legal experts warn that the distinction Democratic governors are trying to draw between America 250 support and the broader Joint Task Force mission may be untenable. “It’s impossible, as a practical matter, to disentangle any America 250 orders and operations from the broader ongoing D.C. operation,” said Beau Tremitiere, counsel at Protect Democracy, a nonprofit legal center tracking the deployment.

Retired Gen. Randy Manner, a former top National Guard official, noted that once troops are assigned to the task force, state governors have little visibility into daily operations. “The governor, legally, is responsible for them,” Manner said. “But the reality is once they go over to the task force … typically the state plays almost no role in the actual day-to-day activities.”

Joseph Nunn, counsel at the Brennan Center for Justice, went further, suggesting that all Title 32 deployments in D.C. may amount to “functional federalization” since the D.C. National Guard is permanently under federal control. “Given this administration’s track record over the past year and a half,” Nunn said, “the potential for these guard forces to be misused is so high that it almost becomes a guarantee.”

A Settlement Born from Satirical Protest

Separately, the District of Columbia has reached a settlement with Sam O’Hara, a D.C. resident who was handcuffed and detained by Metropolitan Police Department officers in September 2025 for following an Ohio National Guard patrol while playing Darth Vader’s “Imperial March” on his phone, as reported by the Associated Press.

O’Hara’s protest — documented in viral TikTok videos on his account @freedc20009 — was a form of political satire drawing parallels between the authoritarian imagery of the Star Wars franchise and the Trump administration’s military deployments. According to the Mediaite report, First Amendment experts assessed O’Hara’s case as strong due to the high legal protections afforded to political protest and satire.

The settlement, whose financial terms remain confidential, covers O’Hara’s claims against the district and four MPD officers. Litigation against the specific National Guard member involved is ongoing. O’Hara was represented by the ACLU of the District of Columbia.

“The government’s efforts to silence me ultimately backfired and brought more attention to the unjust deployment of the National Guard in Washington, D.C.,” O’Hara said in a statement. “This settlement serves as a reminder that constitutional freedoms are worth defending, especially when those in power would prefer we stay quiet.”

ACLU-DC Legal Director Scott Michelman framed the case as a broader warning about the dangers of deploying troops on American streets. “This episode is another demonstration of the folly of Donald Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops to patrol D.C.,” Michelman said. “We don’t need them here, intimidating residents and violating their constitutional rights.”

Broader Implications

The developments come against the backdrop of Trump’s unprecedented use of the National Guard domestically during his second term. The president seized control of Guard troops against the wishes of several Democratic governors in 2025, deploying forces to Los Angeles, Chicago, Portland, and New Orleans. Legal challenges have yielded mixed results: a federal appeals court allowed the D.C. deployment to continue while a panel reviews its legality, while the Ninth Circuit ordered troops to leave Los Angeles.

Democratic governors who have publicly opposed Trump’s deployment now find themselves in a complex position — sending their own troops into the same environment they have criticized. With the America 250 celebrations just days away and more than 4,800 troops on the streets, the question of whether those troops are there for celebration or occupation remains unresolved.