President Trump said he has ordered the National Guard to leave Washington, D.C., after recent protests were largely peaceful.
“They will be going home, but can quickly return, if needed,” Trump tweeted Sunday.
I have just given an order for our National Guard to start the process of withdrawing from Washington, D.C., now that everything is under perfect control. They will be going home, but can quickly return, if needed. Far fewer protesters showed up last night than anticipated!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 7, 2020
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser challenged Trump last week over the presence of federal law enforcement in the city, calling the personnel a safety risk to peaceful protesters in demanding their withdrawal.
“The deployment of federal law enforcement personnel and equipment are inflaming demonstrators and adding to the grievances of those who, by and large, are peacefully protesting for change and for reforms to the racist and broken systems that are killing Black Americans,” she said in a letter to Trump on Thursday.
Bowser also cited concerns about federal personnel not wearing badges or name tags. She said Sunday that Trump’s decision to send in National Guard troops led more protesters to come out.
