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National Guard troops deployed under President Donald Trump’s sweeping federal takeover of the capital were spotted this week picking up trash bags in Lafayette Park, the National Mall and the Tidal Basin.
About 110 soldiers have been assigned to cleanup duty as part of a White House-directed “Safe and Beautiful Task Force,” according to reporting from FOX 5 DC.
The unusual optics highlight Washington’s image problem.
Trump ordered roughly 800 Guard members into the city under a crime emergency plan, though only a fraction actually patrol with police. The rest are handling logistics or community projects, like hauling away litter under the supervision of the National Park Service.
At the same time, city tourism leaders are rolling out new ads to sell a different picture.
TRUMP’S WEEK SHAPED BY CRIME AGENDA, POTENTIAL GUARD DEPLOYMENT TO CHICAGO
National Guard troops gathered litter while on cleanup duty in Lafayette Park in Washington, Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025, during the federal deployment. (WTTG)
Destination DC, the city’s official marketing arm, reported a record 27.2 million visitors in 2024, who spent $11.4 billion, generated $2.3 billion in tax revenue and supported 111,500 jobs in the capital.
To build on the momentum, the group is pushing a “We the People DC” ad campaign that profiles 20 locals who “live, work and thrive” in the city. “Following the federal executive order… DDC acted quickly to counter the narrative and separate rhetoric from reality,” the organization said in its release.
International visitation is expected to drop 5.1% in 2025 — better than the national forecast but troubling since overseas tourists stay longer and spend up to four times as much as domestic ones, the group said.
Tourism officials are banking on America’s 250th anniversary in 2026 to draw millions more.
TRUMP’S USE OF NATIONAL GUARD IN DC IS A MODEL FOR SAVING AMERICA’S CITIES
A National Guard service member collected trash along benches in Lafayette Park near the White House, Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025. (WTTG)
By then:
The National Archives will finish a $40 million renovation.
A new immersive museum will open under the Lincoln Memorial.
The Jefferson Memorial will add a modern exhibit hall.
The National Air and Space Museum will reopen its final galleries.
The Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden and a new 14-gate concourse at Dulles Airport are also set to open in 2026, with convention business projected to generate nearly 700,000 hotel room nights that year.
Members of the National Guard carried bags of trash while working in Lafayette Park near the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025. (WTTG)
President Trump promised to “make [Washington] safe; make it smart; make it beautiful,” vowing to “restore the city back to the gleaming capital that everybody wants it to be.”
That backdrop makes the city’s PR campaign — and the optics of Guard troops hauling litter — part of a broader political battle over whose vision of the nation’s capital will prevail.
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The White House did not immediately return Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
