Former Vice President Mike Pence voiced strong approval Sunday for President Trump’s decision to deploy the National Guard in Washington, D.C., as part of a wider federal push to address crime in the capital.
“I welcome his decision to deploy the National Guard and essentially federalize the D.C. Police Department. I know that it’s all now working in a very cooperative way,” Pence said during an interview on CNN’s State of the Union.
Pence praised Trump’s move as “decisive action” and argued that the American people want to see order restored in the nation’s capital. “I fully support it,” he said. “I think the American people welcome the president taking decisive action to ensure the streets of our nation’s capital are safe and also continues to provide resources across the country to make all of our cities and towns and communities safe.”
The Guard began ramping up operations Thursday after Trump announced the plan earlier in the week. Troops were stationed at the National Mall and Metro stops, and the White House said that more than 1,600 personnel were deployed across the city Wednesday. Officials reported 45 arrests that day, mostly targeting immigrants without permanent legal status.
The Pentagon confirmed that by Thursday the full contingent of around 800 Army and Air National Guard troops ordered by Trump had mobilized on the streets of Washington.
Support from Republican state governors soon followed. On Saturday, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster announced that 200 Guard troops would be sent to Washington, just hours after West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey pledged between 300 and 400 troops of his own.