Hegseth authorizes 2,000 National Guard troops to carry weapons in DC if necessary: US official

"At the direction of the secretary of defense, JTF-DC members supporting the mission to lower the crime rate in our nation's capital will soon be on mission with their service-issued weapons, consistent with their mission and training," a U.S. defense official told FOX News.

The troops could start carrying weapons in the coming days, though they will not be able to make arrests. Additionally, they will still be under orders to temporarily detain people if needed before transferring them to law enforcement as soon as possible.

"We want to make this absolutely perfect. It's our capital. And I guess it used to be many years ago, safe, but it's certainly not had a, a very good run. And you got to be strong. You got to be tough. You got to do your job. Whatever it takes to do your job, you got to do your job," Trump said.