'It embarrasses me to be involved': Inside the National Guard D.C. deployment

A year of patrols in the capital

Thousands of National Guard members have patrolled the streets of Washington, D.C., for more than a year in what NPR News and The Daily Beast describe as President Trump's largest and longest domestic military deployment. The operation, known as the D.C. Safe and Beautiful mission, began in August 2025 after the administration declared a "crime emergency." It has since been extended through the end of Trump's term.

Three current National Guard members, each with more than a decade of service, spoke to NPR anonymously because they remain in uniform. Their accounts, also reported by The Daily Beast, describe growing frustration with a mission they say lacks clear purpose and has damaged the Guard's standing. One member stated bluntly, "I will say very frankly that the bad taste that this mission left in my mouth, it actually embarrasses me to be involved in any way." Another said the experience left him reluctant to identify with the force at all: "I don't want to think about the National Guard... because of the abuses of the National Guard in this D.C. mission."

Early days and shifting duties

According to the members who spoke with NPR, troops arrived with little concrete guidance. A West Virginia Guard member recalled, "Walking into it, we had no real specifics... The president is calling out the Guard to make D.C. safe. Well, what the f--- does that mean?" Early assignments centered on beautification work around the National Mall—clearing trash, bagging leaves, and trimming trees—rather than traditional law-enforcement tasks. NPR reported that troops were later deputized as special law enforcement officers and armed with handguns. Some also carried Naloxone and assisted civilians, including a bicyclist struck by a car.

As the mission continued, duties shifted to presence patrols that members described as monotonous. One said, "At some point, I found myself going, well, at least this isn't that bad... this is wasting everyone's time." Another summarized the core objective simply: "The point of the mission is presence." A third likened the patrols to tactics from the War on Terror and questioned the premise outright: "If it's safe now, then why are we here?" One member told NPR the assignment felt like "a very authoritarian move" from the start, while another called elements of it a political stunt, pointing to an order to patrol the Reflecting Pool.

Costs and crime data

The Congressional Budget Office estimates the deployment costs about $3 million a day. Extending it through 2029 is projected to add another $1.4 billion, figures carried by both NPR and The Daily Beast. NPR also cited a Project on Government Oversight total estimate of roughly $3.4 billion. Nearly 4,700 Guard members have been involved, the majority from other states or territories; many volunteered for the pay, per diems, retirement boosts, and hotel stays. The federal government awarded a nearly $300 million contract for luxury apartments to house them, according to NPR.

Two recent studies referenced by NPR found no effect on violent crime and only a minimal drop in opportunistic offenses such as petty theft. The Center for American Progress, in findings reported by The Daily Beast, put the cost above $1.7 billion and likewise reported no measurable impact on violent crime. Chandler Hall of CAP told C-SPAN, "we find no effect that violent crime actually did change post the National Guard deployments." Trump responded on Truth Social by labeling CAP a "Radical Left SCAM"; the organization stood by its research and accused the president of attempting to silence independent analysis. NPR noted that the original "crime emergency" declaration came despite a 30-year low in violent crime in the city.

The November shooting and its aftermath

In November, a gunman shot two West Virginia Guard members near the White House, killing 20-year-old Spc. Sarah Beckstrom. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro called the attack "a direct challenge to law and order in our capital," NPR reported. The White House responded by sending hundreds more troops. The three Guard members who spoke to NPR described the death as emotionally devastating. One said, "I remember feeling just really sad... did they have to be here?" Another called it "absolutely futile" and said he still visits the site. A West Virginia member who was not present that day told NPR he has worked through guilt in therapy and concluded, "We were made a target."

Brig. Gen. Leland Blanchard II rejected the notion that the mission uniquely endangered troops, stating that "no mission is without risk" and that force protection remains paramount. He described the overall deployment as "unique" and pointed to "significant accomplishments," while adding that individual perspectives deserve respect regardless of the conclusions members draw.

Public reaction and institutional concerns

Signs reading "National Guard Go Home" and "Troops out now" have appeared in the city, both outlets reported. Residents regularly approach patrols with what one Guard member termed "misdirected anger." For some West Virginia troops, it marked the first time a community had not welcomed their presence. One member warned that prolonged presence patrols risk rebranding the National Guard: "If we continue down this path... it's going to completely rebrand everything that was noble about the National Guard into being mundane at best and threatening at worst."

The White House, responding to NPR, reiterated that D.C. is now safer without providing evidence that the Guard presence produced the change. The Daily Beast contacted both the White House and the National Guard for comment. Blanchard emphasized that service members' sacrifice merits respect even when their personal assessments of the mission differ from official views.

Perspectives

Guard members who spoke anonymously described the deployment as embarrassing, exploitative, and a misuse of the force that has left them questioning its justification after a full year. Military leadership, through Brig. Gen. Leland Blanchard II, has characterized the mission as unique with significant accomplishments and stressed that risk is inherent to any operation while force protection stays central. The White House has maintained that the capital is safer and expanded the troop presence after the November shooting. The Center for American Progress has argued the effort has cost more than $1.7 billion with no measurable effect on violent crime, a finding the organization defended after criticism from the president.