A surprise visit by three senior Trump administration officials to Union Station on August 20 turned contentious as protesters disrupted their event opposing the federal government’s takeover of the city’s policing.
Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and White House senior adviser Stephen Miller arrived at the transit hub for a photo opportunity to highlight President Donald Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops in the capital. The administration has touted the move as part of its crackdown on crime, but the visit drew vocal pushback.
From the main hall, demonstrators chanted “Free D.C.!” and used drums to drown out the officials’ remarks. Clearly irritated, Miller dismissed the protesters as “crazy communists” and later mocked them as “elderly white hippies” disconnected from the city’s realities. He argued that Trump’s measures were aimed at protecting Black residents of Washington, whom he said had endured unsafe conditions for generations.
“We’re going to ignore these people,” Miller said. “This city has lacked safety for its citizens for decades, and President Trump is fixing that.”
Vice President Vance also addressed the protests, contrasting them with his personal experiences. “A couple of years ago, when I brought my kids here, they were screamed at by violent vagrants. It terrified them,” he said. “Now, Union Station is a place where parents can feel safe again.” He added that violent crime in Washington had fallen 35 percent in the nine days since the National Guard’s arrival.
Trump declared a public safety emergency on August 11, sending 800 National Guard troops into the city and assuming control of the police force. While the administration argued the measures were necessary to restore safety, official statistics show that violent crime in D.C. had already declined by 26 percent compared with the previous year.
Hegseth emphasized Union Station’s significance, citing conversations with first responders who described it as the top call location for emergency services in the city.
The three officials thanked Guard members stationed at the site before speaking briefly with reporters. Vance then stayed behind to share lunch with troops at a Shake Shack inside the station.
