President Donald Trump casually shared Thursday that he would be personally accompanying the thousands of federal officers and National Guard members patrolling the streets of Washington, D.C. later tonight amid the president’s federal takeover of the city.
“I’m going to be going out tonight, I think, with the police and with the military, of course,” Trump said Thursday, speaking with conservative radio host Todd Starnes, The Hill reported. “So we’re going to do a job. The National Guard is great. They’ve done a fantastic job.”
A White House spokesperson declined to expand on what exactly Trump would be doing, or where he would visit during his walk along with federal officers and National Guard members, telling The Hill that details on the event would be “forthcoming.”
The nation’s capital is currently swarming with law enforcement and military members as part of Trump’s effort to crackdown on crime in the city, with the federal takeover of the city’s police department having produced 630 arrests as of Thursday morning, according to Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Critics have condemned the operation as largely performative, pointing to the relatively low arrest numbers when compared with the substantial cost of the operation to taxpayers.
The federal takeover is limited by law to 30 days by law, with an extension requiring approval in Congress, which remains unlikely given the GOP’s slim majority. A White House insider, however, has suggested that Trump may seek to make the takeover permanent.
