Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth joined members of the National Guard Thursday to highlight the work of the Trump administration’s D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force as the city kicks off the 250th anniversary celebrations.
Hegseth, joined by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and about 200 members of the National Guard, gathered in Meridian Hill park to celebrate the restoration of the park’s fountains and the work both the guardsmen and the administration have done during Trump’s city beautification project.
Speaking to the men and women in uniform, Hegseth praised their work in bringing “law and order” to the nation’s capital.
“There’s nothing political about this exercise. Law and order is something all Americans deserve. Black, white, rich, poor, man or woman from D.C. or far-flung places in this country. And the beautiful thing is when I look out at that, this group, that’s all of you,” Hegseth said.
As he spoke, protesters could be heard chanting, “Guard go home.”
“From all across this great country, you’re not from Washington, most of you, but this is your capital. And you believe in this 250th year that it should be safe and it should be secure for every single citizen that lives here and every single citizen that comes to visit in this 250th year,” he said.
Across the street, demonstrators chanted and pounded on drums, demanding an end to “the DC occupation.”
Hegseth mentioned the protests in his remarks: “This background noise this morning is perfect. It’s the sound of ingrates, of ingratitude, of people who are so blinded by ideology they can’t see law and order and common sense in front of them. That there’s nothing ideological about this group,” he said.
