South Carolina and Ohio joined West Virginia in deploying National Guard troops to Washington, D.C. on Saturday, escalating what critics are calling an unprecedented federal intervention in a Democratic city.
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (R) authorized the deployment of 200 National Guardsmen Saturday, citing support for President Donald Trump’s effort to restore “law and order,” while ensuring the troops could be recalled in case of a state emergency such as the intensifying hurricane season.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) confirmed he would send 150 military police personnel to the capital in response to a Pentagon request, stating they would serve as added security and carry out presence patrols.
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These deployments add to the roughly 800 District of Columbia National Guard members already federalized by Trump under emergency powers, raising concerns among local officials and civil rights advocates.
Meanwhile, the Republican governors' action was strongly criticized on social media.
Christina Henderson, D.C. council member at-large, wrote on the social platform X: "These Governors pulling their National Guard troops away from their full-time jobs and their families, just to have them standing around being hot and bored for a photo-op is wild."
Journalist Jim Stewartson wrote: "So part of the country is sending their military to occupy another part of the country? That has a different ring to it."
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Political analyst Bill Kristol said: "There’s no real pretense this has anything to do with crime (there are cities or parts of cities in SC and Ohio that have higher crime rates than DC — send the troops there!). This is about establishing a precedent for Trump seizing control of the nation’s capital when he wants."
Writer Chris Evans said: "So, umm. Is this not low key civil war?"