Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered that National Guard troops patrolling the streets of Washington for President Trump's law enforcement crackdown will be armed, the Pentagon said.

The U.S. military said Friday that the National Guard members who are on the streets in Washington for President Donald Trump's crackdown will soon be armed.

In President Trump’s second term, many of his most high-profile initiatives have doubled as opportunities to test the loyalty of Republican leaders.

"There are many things the federal government could do to help us reduce crime and violence in Chicago, but sending in the military is not one of them," Johnson said in a statement.

Mayor Brandon Johnson calls President Trump threat to send National Guard troops to Chicago illegal, “uncoordinated, uncalled for, and unsound,” while Gov. JB Pritzker says it would be

US President Donald Trump is threatening to extend his controversial measures to tackle what he calls rampant crime from Washington - where he has deployed hundreds of National Guard officers - to the city of Chicago.

Vice President JD Vance says National Guard troops are making substantial progress tackling crime in Washington, D.C., and suggests their mission may extend beyond 30 days.