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‘Guard, go home!’ Hegseth in Meridian Hill Park met by protest
NBC4 Washington • • nation
Key Points:
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth hosted a ceremony in D.C.’s Malcolm X Park to honor National Guard members and celebrate the restoration of the park’s fountains, but the event faced protests with chants supporting immigrants and opposing the Guard's presence.
- Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller joined Hegseth, with Miller praising the National Guard for contributing to a significant reduction in violent crime in D.C.
- Hegseth criticized the protesters as being ideologically blinded and emphasized that the National Guard's presence is about law and order, not politics.
- The event included a moment of silence for two National Guard members who were shot in November, highlighting the dangers faced by the troops.
- A recent D.C. think tank report found that the National Guard deployment under the Trump administration did not reduce violent crime but helped lower opportunistic property crimes in tourist areas.
