Hegseth calls protesters ‘ingrates’ as they try to drown out DC National Guard event

(WASHINGTON) -- Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Thursday dismissed protesters chanting "Guard go home" outside a ceremony in Washington, D.C., honoring National Guard troops as their presence in the nation's capital approaches the one-year mark and has nearly doubled in recent weeks to roughly 5,000 personnel.

"It's the sound of ingrates," Hegseth told a formation of some 250 National Guardsmen gathered at a park nestled in Washington D.C.'s northwest neighborhoods. "People who are so blinded by ideology they can't see law and order and common sense in front of them. There's nothing ideological about this group."

Outside the park, dozens of protesters gathered in front of a security perimeter formed by National Guard troops and law enforcement, chanting through megaphones and blowing whistles while drums and a trombone added to the noise as they sought to drown out the speeches. The peaceful demonstration remained largely uneventful.

Speaking in front of the Meridian Hill Park fountain that was recently repaired by the Department of the Interior after years of being inoperative, Hegseth was joined by National Guard chief Gen. Steven Nordhaus, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, Brig. Gen. Leland Blanchard, commander of the District of Columbia National Guard, and senior White House aide Stephen Miller, who has been an architect of the Trump administration's National Guard mission in Washington D.C. Each praised the troops serving in Washington.

The deployment has largely focused on high-visibility patrols through downtown corridors and major tourist areas, far from the city's high-crime areas, along with civic support missions, including trash collection. Troops are commonly armed with 9mm SIG Sauer M17 pistols or 5.56mm M4 rifles. 

National Guard troops have been deployed to Washington since last August, with states maintaining a steady rotation of personnel into the city. The broad mission has placed military personnel on civilian streets in an unprecedented domestic role, though National Guard troops retain very limited legal authority. 

The National Guard also maintains its constant rotation of units to missions in Africa, Europe and in the Middle East amid the war with Iran. Troops often serve in a part-time capacity, juggling their Guard duty with typical civilian careers. 

The force has been drawn overwhelmingly from Republican-led states. The D.C. National Guard itself accounts for about 500 troops, roughly one-quarter of its force, serving on the mission.

South Carolina has deployed roughly 700 troops, Georgia nearly 800 and Mississippi about 500, according to National Guard figures. Other states with sizable contingents include West Virginia, Nebraska, Florida and Louisiana.

Democratic-led states and U.S. territories have begun sending troops to D.C. in recent weeks, but only for events tied to America's 250th anniversary celebration and an expected surge in tourism. 

Earlier this week, Michigan's Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer warned she would withdraw her state's troops if they were assigned to President Donald Trump's ongoing "Safe and Beautiful" mission rather than July 4th-related events. 

In practice, however, drawing a distinction between holiday security operations and the Guard's broader mission in Washington, D.C., may be difficult. Much of the ongoing mission is already concentrated around the National Mall and downtown transit stations, where tourists and local residents celebrating the holiday are expected to converge, one U.S. official explained. National Guard units from other states are frequently sent to Washington for major events such as presidential inaugurations. 

Estimates have shown the Guard deployment is more expensive than using additional police officers or municipal workers.

An analysis from the Niskanen Center found the cost differential between troops and local law enforcement was roughly $607 per Guardsman per day compared to about $384 per day for a D.C. police officer.

The report also noted that the National Guard’s presence in D.C. has not reduced violent crime but has coincided with a decline in property crimes.

One estimate from the Congressional Budget Office found the National Guard's D.C. footprint will cost at least $660 million this year, but it doesn't account for the additional surge of troops for the summer.

A White House spokeswoman dismissed the Niskanen analysis and insisted the National Guard presence had driven down crime and improved quality of life in the District.

Two National Guard members from West Virginia were shot in the head while on patrol in November. Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, died from her injuries. U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, was critically injured and is still recovering, his family says. 

Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 30, an Afghan national and suspected gunman, pleaded not guilty to the shootings. The Department of Justice said in June it is determining whether to seek the death penalty.

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