Democrats Send National Guard to D.C. for First Since Trump

WASHINGTON, D.C. — For the first time since President Trump controversially deployed the National Guard to the nation’s capital last year, several Democratic governors have sent members of their state guards to Washington, D.C. — a move that marks a significant political reversal and raises new questions about the militarization of the capital.

According to NPR, Kentucky and North Carolina each sent a single guard member in recent weeks as the city prepared for America 250 celebrations. Michigan then dispatched more than 100 troops, and Minnesota followed with 107. These are the first troops sent from Democratic-led states since Trump deployed the Guard to D.C. in August 2025.

A City Under Guard

D.C. currently hosts more than 4,800 uniformed National Guard members patrolling residential streets, city parks, and metro stops — a number that nearly doubled in the past month after federal officials announced a “summer surge” ahead of America 250 celebrations. Until recently, troops came exclusively from D.C. itself, more than a dozen Republican-led states, and U.S. territories Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

The deployment costs upwards of $2.8 million per day, according to an estimate by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, which projected that Trump’s domestic National Guard deployments could cost over $1.1 billion in 2026.

Confusion Over Mission

When contacted by NPR, spokespeople for each Democratic governor insisted their troops were sent solely to help with crowd management for America 250 celebrations — not for law enforcement as part of the federal Joint Task Force operation. But troops from all four states are listed as part of the official Joint Task Force numbers released to the public.

Scottie Ellis, communications director for Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, said 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 added that a request has been made for the member to be reassigned, and if that fails, “they will be recalled and return to Kentucky.”

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s office suggested there “might be a mix-up,” with communications director Bobby Leddy stating that Michigan troops are “deployed only to support the America 250th celebration activities, not for the Joint Task Force mission.”

The Joint Task Force responded that it oversees all guard members for organizational purposes but does not change their specific mission.

Legal Experts Raise Concerns

All four Democratic-led states have been clear about their opposition to Trump’s ongoing deployment, filing an amicus brief in support of litigation challenging it as recently as May. But legal experts warn that the distinction between America 250 support and the Joint Task Force mission is practically impossible to maintain.

“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, once a top National Guard official, noted that once troops are in D.C., governors lose visibility into their day-to-day activities. “The governor, legally, is responsible for them,” Manner said. “But the reality is once they go over to the task force … the commander on the ground in the District of Columbia would be responsible, so typically the state plays almost no role in the actual day-to-day activities.”

Joseph Nunn, counsel at the Brennan Center for Justice, warned that all Title 32 deployments in D.C. are “functionally federalization” because troops fall under the tactical control of the D.C. National Guard, which 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.”

Broader Context

Trump’s unprecedented use of the National Guard domestically has faced a litany of legal setbacks, including a Supreme Court ruling against the administration in the Illinois case. The president seized control of Guard troops against the wishes of several Democratic governors in 2025, deploying them to Los Angeles, Chicago, Portland, Memphis, and New Orleans.

A recent study by the Niskanen Center found that the National Guard deployment led to a 24% drop in opportunistic property crimes but had no measurable effect on violent crime. Researchers called the Guard a “blunt and expensive instrument.”

What’s Next

The “summer surge” is expected to bring troop levels to 5,000, though it remains unclear when numbers would return to current levels. The legal challenge to Trump’s D.C. deployment continues in federal court, while Democratic governors face the ongoing challenge of maintaining their opposition to the broader deployment even as their own troops operate in the capital. The distinction between America 250 support and Joint Task Force operations will likely face further scrutiny in the weeks ahead.