US vice president JD Vance on Thursday mocked online criticism over the presence of National Guard troops in Washington DC.
Vance’s comment came in response to a post by a user, who shared a photo of Union Station under heavy guard and compared it to The Handmaid’s Tale, claiming public unease about the deployment of National Guard in Washington DC.
"A DC resident shared this photo she took at Union Station yesterday. Looks like a scene from The Handmaid's Tale, but no, just another day of Trump's militarisation of DC right now," Jennifer Bendery wrote on X.
Vance responded sarcastically, saying his children were playing with lightsaber toys and joking that it looked like a "scene out of Star Wars," calling it "just another day of Trump’s militarisation of DC," mocking the idea that the city was overly militarised.
"This evening my boys played with their lightsaber toys. Looks like a scene out of Star Wars, but no, just another day of Trump’s militarization of DC," Vance wrote.
Trump’s 'militarisation' of DC
The controversy stems from US president Donald Trump’s August 11 order placing the DC police department under federal control and deploying hundreds of National Guard troops. Under the city’s Home Rule Act, the president can assume temporary control during emergencies, limited to 30 days unless Congress approves an extension. Since then, the troop count has risen to around 2,200, with officials warning they could stay through the end of the year.
On Thursday, Washington DC filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration, claiming the deployment violates both the constitution and federal law. DC attorney general Brian Schwalb said the move undermines a core principle of American democracy that the military should not enforce domestic law.
The White House defended the decision. Spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said the lawsuit was “nothing more than another attempt at the detriment of DC residents and visitors to undermine the president’s highly successful operations to stop violent crime in DC.”
Vance’s comment came in response to a post by a user, who shared a photo of Union Station under heavy guard and compared it to The Handmaid’s Tale, claiming public unease about the deployment of National Guard in Washington DC.
"A DC resident shared this photo she took at Union Station yesterday. Looks like a scene from The Handmaid's Tale, but no, just another day of Trump's militarisation of DC right now," Jennifer Bendery wrote on X.
Vance responded sarcastically, saying his children were playing with lightsaber toys and joking that it looked like a "scene out of Star Wars," calling it "just another day of Trump’s militarisation of DC," mocking the idea that the city was overly militarised.
"This evening my boys played with their lightsaber toys. Looks like a scene out of Star Wars, but no, just another day of Trump’s militarization of DC," Vance wrote.
Trump’s 'militarisation' of DC
The controversy stems from US president Donald Trump’s August 11 order placing the DC police department under federal control and deploying hundreds of National Guard troops. Under the city’s Home Rule Act, the president can assume temporary control during emergencies, limited to 30 days unless Congress approves an extension. Since then, the troop count has risen to around 2,200, with officials warning they could stay through the end of the year.
On Thursday, Washington DC filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration, claiming the deployment violates both the constitution and federal law. DC attorney general Brian Schwalb said the move undermines a core principle of American democracy that the military should not enforce domestic law.
The White House defended the decision. Spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said the lawsuit was “nothing more than another attempt at the detriment of DC residents and visitors to undermine the president’s highly successful operations to stop violent crime in DC.”
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