FOOTAGE: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer Sends Troops to Join Trump’s Army in Washington, DC, Armed and Without a Mission
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 26, 2026
MEDIA CONTACT: media@freedcproject.org, (202) 771-1921
FOOTAGE: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer Sends Troops to Join Trump’s Army in Washington, DC, Armed and Without a Mission
Incident shows Michigan troops deployed to DC neighborhoods, not for America 250 celebrations
Washington, DC —Free DC releases video footage today showing Michigan National Guard troops standing armed with pistols near a Georgetown movie theater. The footage was recorded on the evening of June 24, 2026 at the corner of Wisconsin Avenue NW and K Street NW. The soldiers were unable to locate the Fourth of July events they are reportedly here to support.
View the video on Bluesky and Instagram.
"Governor Whitmer sent Michigan's sons and daughters to stand armed in a city they are unfamiliar with, reporting to bosses who have been harming DC" said Keya Chatterjee, Executive Director of Free DC. "Voluntarily sending troops to DC to serve under Trump’s command in an election year is reckless, it is dangerous, and Governor Whitmer should order these troops home today."
Governor Whitmer sent 108 Michigan National Guards to DC the day before the D.C. primary election on June 15. Yesterday, a spokesperson for the Joint Task Force confirmed the number of guards sent by Gov. Whitmer escalated to 161 guards.
Free DC demands all National Guards out of D.C. Now! The National Guard are not in DC for our safety. They are a danger to people here and we want them gone.
The full video is available at https://bsky.app/profile/freedcproject.bsky.social/post/3mp7et7fmik2i.
Background on the Safe and Beautiful Task Force
On August 11, 2025, President Trump began a military occupation of Washington, DC. Ten months later, on May 15, 2026, Trump’s Director of the U.S. Marshals Service announced his intent to “surge” the number of National Guard members in DC to 5,000. Once deployed by Governors, troops are under the command of the Joint Task Force - DC, which was established to support the “Safe and Beautiful Task Force”. As of June 26, 2026, there are approximately 4,800 National Guard members deployed in DC — up from 2,500 just a month ago.
The “summer surge” was declared under the guise of preparing for the semiquincentennial celebrations. However, the bulk of America 250 celebrations, a bipartisan celebration established by Congress, are taking place in States across the country. Washington, DC, is the only location hosting “Freedom 250,” a partisan project backed by President Trump, which includes The American State Fair on the National Mall.
The “Safe and Beautiful Task Force” has delivered ten months of killing and kidnapping to D.C.'s communities. On February 11, 2026, a D.C. father Julian Bailey was murdered by a U.S. Marshal. Last month Army Veteran Anna King was assaulted by National Guards at her private home. Last week, a delivery worker, Nolberto Meza, was killed as a bystander in a high speed police chase - the result of federal rejection of local laws that protect D.C. residents.
Whether from immigration enforcement, expanded curfews or overpolicing, families across DC live with the daily reality that our children face a level of federal enforcement that no other American community endures. Recently, it was reported that nearly 7 out of every 1,000 children in D.C. have been affected by immigrant detention - a per capita impact higher than anywhere else in the United States.
The occupation costs at least $1.65 million per day and has done nothing to reduce violent crime, the other pretext for the occupation.
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Free DC is the renewed campaign to protect DC Home Rule and win lasting dignity for the people of the District of Columbia. Learn more and get involved at FreeDCProject.org.
Deployment data visualization can be found at https://freedc.districtjosh.com/