National Guard Members Humiliate Trump With Damning Verdict on His Plot

Evelyn Hockstein/REUTERS A year into President Donald Trump’s unprecedented deployment of the National Guard in Washington, D.C., some of the troops sent there say they are embarrassed by the mission and increasingly question why they are still there.

Three current National Guard members told NPR , speaking anonymously because they remain in service, that the deployment has left them frustrated and concerned about the military’s reputation.

“I will say very frankly that the bad taste that this mission left in my mouth, it actually embarrasses me to be involved in any way,” one said.

Another said the experience had made him reluctant to even identify with the Guard.

“I don’t want to think about the National Guard.

I don’t want to necessarily discuss my affiliation with the National Guard.

I don’t want to fulfill my normal National Guard duties just because of the abuses of the National Guard in this D.C. mission,” he said.

Trump first deployed hundreds of Guard members to the capital in August 2025, saying they were needed to help address crime after declaring a “crime emergency.” The deployment has since been extended through the end of his term, making it his longest domestic military operation.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates the current deployment costs about $3 million a day, while extending it through 2029 is expected to cost another $1.4 billion.

The troops interviewed by NPR said they quickly became skeptical of the mission’s purpose.

One said that after a year, the administration’s original justification “holds” no water.

“Now, with it being a year, it’s hard to feel like that justification holds any water,” the Guard member said.

“It feels like the guard is being exploited in a sense.” Some troops said their duties initially involved little law enforcement at all.

They cleared trash, bagged leaves, trimmed trees and handled logistical work around the National Mall.