Aug. 20 (UPI) — As protesters chanted nearby, U.S. Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller visited National Guardsmen in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday amid what the Trump administration says is a crime crackdown.
The three Trump administration officials greeted National Guard troops at the capital’s Union Station while positioned near a table containing hamburgers for the troops, PBS News reported.
“In just the past nine days, we’ve seen a 35% reduction in violent crime,” Vance told those in attendance.
“We’ve seen over a 50% reduction in robberies,” he added. “We’re seeing really substantial effects because these guys are busting their a*****.”
Vance said he wanted to thank the National Guard troops in person and hand out some hamburgers to show his appreciation for their efforts.
Hegseth said the National Guard deployments in Washington are needed to ensure residents, visitors and those who work in the capital are safe.
“The American people, the residents of D.C., deserve a safe and beautiful city,” Hegseth said. “That’s our mission.”
He called the National Guard troops “patriots who serve the country” and want to make Washington a “beautiful, safe capital.”
The National Guard troops are “proud of this mission” and making sure “law and order is established here in the capital,” Hegseth added.
He said the Defense Department is providing the resources that the troops need and working with law enforcement partners to ensure safety in Washington.
Pro-Palestinian protesters gathered and chanted near Union Station, which drew a rebuke from Vance.
He said the protesters “hate the idea that Americans can enjoy their communities,” according to PBS News.
Vance said he went to Union Station with Hegseth and Miller because criminal activity was very high there, which local officials deny.
Miller added to Vance’s criticism of the protesters by calling them “stupid white hippies” and said they do not represent Washington, D.C.’s residents, The Hill reported.
“We are not going to let the communists destroy a great American city, let alone the nation’s capital,” Miller said.
“All these demonstrators you’ve seen out here in recent days, all these elderly white hippies, they’re not part of the city and never have been,” Miller said.
“We’re going to ignore these stupid white hippies that all need to go home and take a nap because they’re all over 90 years old,” he added.
Trump last week put the federal government in control of Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department, which has been accused of falsifying crime data. Though Trump administration officials have characterized crime in the city as out of control, in actuality, crime in the district has fallen in recent years or remained flat.
An agreement on Friday put the police department under local control, but Trump sought and received National Guard deployments from West Virginia, South Carolina, Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee and Louisiana.
About 1,200 National Guard troops are slated for deployment in the capital, in addition to 800 Washington National Guard troops who already are there, according to The Washington Post.