Trump sent US troops into Washington. Now they’re being given guns. Why?

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered that National Guard troops patrolling the streets of Washington for President Donald Trump’s law enforcement crackdown will start carrying firearms, the Pentagon said on Friday.

The Defence Department did not offer any other details about the new development or why it was needed.

The step is an escalation in Trump’s intervention into policing in the nation’s capital and comes as nearly 2,000 National Guard members have been stationed in the heavily Democratic city, with the arrival this week of hundreds of troops from several Republican-led states.

Trump initially called up 800 members of the District of Columbia National Guard to assist federal law enforcement in his bid to crack down on crime, homelessness and illegal immigration. Since then, six states have sent troops to the city, growing the military presence.

It was unclear if the guard’s role in the federal intervention could be changing. The troops have not taken part in law enforcement and have largely been protecting landmarks including the National Mall and Union Station and helping with crowd control.

Some troops have fed squirrels. One guard member helped a woman carry her belongings down the stairs in a railway station. Others have been seen taking photos with passers-by, standing around chatting and drinking coffee.