Ten days after ordering 800 National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., President Donald Trump visited them on 21/8 at a U.S. Park Police facility, bringing pizza and hamburgers.
About 300 officers representing the National Guard and federal law enforcement agencies attended the meeting. Trump described the troops as a "healthy, attractive group." He said the federal order to mobilize the capital's police would be extended and thanked the officers involved in protecting Washington.
"We're not here to play games, we're here to make sure it's safe, and then we'll go on to other things. We're only here for a little while, but I want it to be perfect. This is our capital," he said.
Trump pledged that Washington would be "more beautiful than ever," emphasizing that "by the end of this year, this place will achieve its most perfect beauty."
The president had previously suggested he might patrol the streets of Washington with law enforcement on the evening of 21/8, but he returned to the White House immediately after his brief visit to the Park Police facility.
The day before, Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth visited Union Station in Washington to bring burgers to the National Guard troops stationed there.
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President Donald Trump during his visit to the U.S. Park Police facility in Washington, D.C. on 21/8. Photo: AFP |
Washington, D.C. was previously run by the District of Columbia government under the supervision of the U.S. Congress. However, on 11/8, President Trump declared a public safety emergency in Washington, activating Section 740 of the Home Rule Act to deploy federal forces and the National Guard to the city. Federal law allows Trump to control the Washington, D.C. police force for 30 days.
Thuy Lam (According to Washington Post, Politico)
