Trump escalates military takeover of DC as troops are now allowed ‘lethal weapons’ as he plots expansion to more crime-ridden cities

National Guard troops directly answering to President Donald Trump are now armed with guns in the streets of Washington, DC.

The Trump administration is doubling down on its crime crackdown in the capital by empowering the troops with service-issued weapons.

A spokesperson for the guard told the Washington Post some troops now carry guns, including m4 carbine rifles and m17 pistols.

Cameras captured troops on Sunday marching across the heart of Washington near metro stations and the National Mall with guns to their side.

The guard stated members are allowed ‘use of force only as a last resort and solely in response to an imminent threat of death or serious bodily harm.’

Over 2,000 troops from six different GOP-led states have been sent into Washington after Trump issued an executive order federalizing the police in the city earlier this month.

The Pentagon stated the National Guard’s mission is still focused on being seen as a visible deterrent to crime while supporting law enforcement.

Troops may temporarily detain a suspect until police arrive at the scene; however, they do have the ability to make arrests if asked by the Trump administration under Title 32 orders.

National Guard troops now patrol the streets of DC with rifles and sidearms

Troops also have the ability to detain individuals until police arrive to make an arrest

Trump threatened to send the National Guard into other Democratic cities to replicate his crime crackdown in DC

A White House official told WaPo that the troops ‘will continue protecting federal assets — including officers — providing a safe environment for officers to make arrests if needed, and providing a visible law enforcement presence to deter crime, as they have been since the operation began.’

Trump wants to replicate this military takeover in other Democratic cities infested with crime.

Last week, the president said he was considering sending troops into Chicago and New York to conduct a similar crackdown operation.

However, Trump made a similar threat while engaging in an online duel with Maryland Gov. Wes Moore on Sunday.

Moore has criticized the president for taking away authority from local city police in the name of combatting crime.

The Democratic governor then invited Trump to Maryland to discuss solutions for crime and empowering public safety officials.

Trump replied by claiming Moore had ‘a rather nasty and provocative tone’ and suggested he would send in troops to clean up his state.

‘Wes Moore’s record on Crime is a very bad one, unless he fudges his figures on crime like many of the other ‘Blue States’ are doing,’ Trump wrote.

Troops have mostly patrolled metro stations and monuments around the capital

Trump made a similar threat while engaging in an online duel with Maryland Gov. Wes Moore on Sunday

‘But if Wes Moore needs help, like Gavin Newscum did in L.A., I will send in the “troops,” which is being done in nearby DC, and quickly clean up the Crime.’

Since the start of Trump’s DC crackdown over the last few weeks, the FBI reports that over 500 arrests have been made by a coalition of federal law enforcement agencies.