Trump's Trials - In a first since Trump deployed the guard to D.C., Democrats are sending troops

Episode Date: June 26, 2026

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 respective guards to the city. NPR's Kat Lonsdorf reports.Support NPR and hear every episode of Trump's Terms sponsor-free with NPR+. Sign up at plus.npr.org.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

I'm Scott Detrow, and this is Trump's terms from NPR. Every episode, we bring you one story from NPR's coverage of the Trump administration with the focus on actions and policies that take the presidency into uncharted territory. Here's the latest from NPR. From NPR news, I'm Lela Falded. NPR has learned that several Democratic governors have sent National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., as part of the surge in law enforcement ahead of the America 250 celebrations. It's the first time Democrats have sent troops to the city amid President Trump's ongoing and controversial National Guard deployment.

For more on this means, we're joined by NPR's Kat Lansdorf. Good morning, Kat. Hey, good morning. So which states with Democratic governors have sent their guard to D.C. in recent weeks? Well, we're up to four so far, North Carolina, Kentucky, Michigan, and Minnesota. I reached out to all of those governor's offices and each told me they sent their guard here to D.C. for the official bipartisan America to 50 events happening, which is pretty standard. States historically send guard to help with big national celebrations like inaugurations, that kind of thing.

What isn't standard about this is the broader context of the city right now, where thousands of troops have been deployed for months patrolling the city. Right. I mean, we see them all the time. There's been a continuous and increasing National Guard presence here in Washington. Yeah, exactly. Uniformed armed troops. I see them every day, like you said, walking my dog, going to work.

Trump ordered this controversial deployment last August as part of a larger effort to fight crime, which was already trending down here. And more than a dozen Republican governors offered up their guard to help. There are now more than 4,800 troops here. This is the first time Democrats have sent any. But Democrats, you're saying, have told you that their guard members were sent for America 250 celebrations, not for broader law enforcement. Can the two be separate? Well, that is the tricky part. I put that question to Beau Trimetteer, counsel with the nonprofit legal center protect democracy, which has been following this D.C. deployment closely.

It's impossible as a practical matter to disentangle any America 250 orders and operations from the broader ongoing D.C. operation and everything that the Joint Task Force is doing day to day. You know, does security for the America 250 event mean securing the whole city, for example? Will guard members from these Democratic states be patrolling residential neighborhoods? Will they be guarding the reflecting pool, Trump's latest political flashpoint? I put some of these questions to the governor's offices as well as the Joint Task Force here, and I didn't really get a clear answer. And, you know, the broader context of all of this is that we've seen this administration use the National Guard in unprecedented ways domestically several times over the past year.

How much control do the governors have over their guard once they're in D.C.? So all state troops here are under what's called Title 32 status. Basically, that means the federal government pays, but the governor of each state technically maintains control of their guard. Minnesota officials have been adamant that there are more than 100 guard members here are only for America 250 purposes and not anything, quote, political or executive. Michigan and North Carolina told me something similar. But, you know, once troops are in D.C., the governors don't necessarily have a clear line of

sight into what they're being asked to do day to day. This seems to already have become a problem for Kentucky, which only has one guard member here right now, but that still prompted a surprising response from the governor's office. Scotty Ellis, Governor Angie Beshears, comms director, told me that member was, quote, diverted to the task force by the federal government without the knowledge or consent of the governor. Governor Whitmer's office and Michigan seemed confused to learn that the more than 100 Michigan troops here are listed as part of the federal Joint Task Force. They said they'd been reassured they'd only be used for America 250 purposes.

I did reach out to the Joint Task Force about all of this confusion. And in a statement, a spokesperson responded saying they can't comment on specific mobilization orders. But they said that all Guard members in D.C. right now are under the Joint Task Force operational structure. But that doesn't change their specific mission. That's NPR's Kat Lonsdorf. Thank you, Kat. Thank you. And before we go, a plug for the best way to hear Trump's terms. and all of NPR's political coverage, the NPR app.

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