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Trump admin updates: US military is preparing for possible activation of National Guard in DC

PHOTO: Washington D.C. skyline with Capitol Hill.
5:31
Adobe Stock
Rutte: Summit is ‘important’ step, full-scale negotiation ‘will be about territory’
By Kevin Shalvey, Ivan Pereira, Alexandra Hutzler
Last Updated: August 11, 2025, 2:52 AM

President Trump has announced a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin scheduled for Friday, Aug. 15 in Alaska.

The Trump administration is also once again escalating its clash with Harvard University, with Commerce Secretary Lutnick sending a letter Friday to Harvard President Alan Garber that accuses Harvard of violating its legal and contractual obligations related to federally funded research programs and patents.

Lutnick said the Commerce Department is launching an "immediate comprehensive review" of Harvard’s federally funded research programs.

Latest headlines:

  • Vance denies meeting at his residence on Epstein
  • Trump to hold Monday news conference on DC crime
  • Vance brushes off talk of 2028 ticket
Here's how the news is developing.

Aug 11, 2025 2:52 AM

The US military is preparing for possible activation of National Guard in DC

The U.S. military is preparing for the possible activation of a portion of the DC National Guard to be deployed to Washington, D.C., according to a U.S. official.

It’s unclear exactly how many Guardsmen might be activated, as a decision has not yet been made. There are 2,700 personnel in the D.C. National Guard.

The expectation is that if guardsmen are activated, it would be in a support role to local authorities.

The D.C. National Guard is unique in that, unlike other National Guards, it is not under the control of a governor or, in this case, the mayor of D.C., but the president.

That authority has been delegated to the defense secretary and the secretary of the Army.

-ABC News’ Luis Martinez


Aug 10, 2025 7:40 PM

Vance denies meeting at his residence on Epstein

Vice President JD Vance dismissed reports that a meeting took place at his residence with top administration officials Thursday that involved discussions about convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

"There was no meeting at my house last night. There just wasn't," Vance told Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo in an interview that aired on “Sunday Morning Futures.”

"We did meet at the White House yesterday, but not at the time that they said that they -- that we were going to meet and not about the subject that we -- they said that we were going to meet about," Vance said in the interview that was taped on Friday.

PHOTO: Vice President JD Vance speaks at the Metallus plant, July 28, 2025, in Canton, Ohio.
Lauren Leigh Bacho/AP
Vice President JD Vance speaks at the Metallus plant, July 28, 2025, in Canton, Ohio.
Lauren Leigh Bacho/AP

"We actually didn't talk about the Epstein issue at all. That was never meant to be the subject of the meeting," he continued.

Vance said the reports came from someone leaking a calendar entry in which they assumed that it was about Epstein.

Vance reiterated that Trump has called for full transparency, and efforts are underway to compile documents.

"On the Epstein issue, what the president has said very clearly, because we have had other meetings about that, is that he wants us to be fully transparent and he wants the credible information out there. So, we're working to compile the thousands and thousands of documents that are out there for full transparency," Vance said.

Vance said he supported the decision by Rep. James Comer, chair of the House Oversight Committee, to subpoena Bill and Hillary Clinton in its investigation of the Epstein files.

-ABC News’ Kelsey Walsh


Aug 10, 2025 7:38 PM

Trump to hold Monday news conference on DC crime

Trump announced on his social media platform that he’ll hold a news conference at 10 a.m. Monday to discuss crime in Washington, D.C.

The president said that he has given D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser an opportunity to reduce crime rates but crime has gotten worse.

"The Mayor of D.C., Muriel Bowser, is a good person who has tried, but she has been given many chances, and the Crime Numbers get worse, and the City only gets dirtier and less attractive. The American Public is not going to put up with it any longer," Trump said in his post.

PHOTO: Federal Law Enforcement Increases DC Presence After Trump Decries Crime
Andrew Leyden/Getty Images
U.S. Park Police perform a traffic stop on August 8, 2025, in Washington, D.C. President Donald Trump has ordered federal law enforcement to step up crime prevention activities in the District.
Andrew Leyden/Getty Images

Contrary to the president's claim, Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department’s preliminary year-to-date crime rate comparison shows that crime in D.C. has decreased by 7% since last year, with violent crime down 26% and property crime reduced by 5%.

“I will take care of our cherished Capital, and we will make it, truly, GREAT AGAIN! Before the tents, squalor, filth, and Crime, it was the most beautiful Capital in the World. It will soon be that again,” Trump wrote.

-ABC News’ Kelsey Walsh



Aug 10, 2025 5:57 PM

Vance brushes off talk of 2028 ticket

After Trump publicly suggested a Vance-Rubio ticket for 2028, the vice president shot down continued dialogue during an interview with Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo, saying that Rubio and he are not focused on politics right now.

"I saw Marco about a month ago. We just laughed at the whole thing, because neither one of us are focused on politics. We're focused on actually doing a good job for the American people," Vance said in the interview that aired on “Sunday Morning Futures.”

PHOTO: Vice President JD Vance listens to President Donald Trump speak in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Aug. 6, 2025.
Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
Vice President JD Vance listens to President Donald Trump speak in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Aug. 6, 2025.
Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

"If we do a good job, number one, that's the reward, in and of itself, that I will have made a big difference in the lives of our country for the last six months, the next 3.5 years. But if we do a good job, the politics will take care of itself," he continued.

Despite Vance trying to navigate away from the topic, he did not dismiss the possibility of running for president in 2028 when asked.

"I'm not going to break that news today, Maria," he said. "What I'm going to do is focus for the next year and a half on doing a really good job for the American people, winning the midterm elections in 2026. Then we can talk about politics after that."

-ABC News’ Kelsey Walsh


Aug 06, 2025 12:00 AM

Trump again threatens federal control of DC after ex-DOGE staffer beaten

Trump claimed Tuesday that crime in Washington, D.C., is "totally out of control," particularly regarding young offenders. In a post on his social media platform, he shared a picture of a young man who appears to have been assaulted, visibly covered in blood.

"Local ‘youths’ and gang members, some only 14, 15, and 16-years-old, are randomly attacking, mugging, maiming, and shooting innocent Citizens, at the same time knowing that they will be almost immediately released. They are not afraid of Law Enforcement because they know nothing ever happens to them, but it’s going to happen now!" Trump wrote.

PHOTO: President Donald Trump takes questions from reporters after signing an executive order in the South Court Auditorium in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, Aug. 5, 2025 in Washington.
Alex Brandon/AP
President Donald Trump takes questions from reporters after signing an executive order in the South Court Auditorium in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, Aug. 5, 2025 in Washington.
Alex Brandon/AP

Later, during an event at the White House, the president shared that a member of the Department of Government Efficiency was "badly hurt" Monday night.

"By the way, I have to say that somebody from DOGE was very badly hurt last night. You saw that a young man who was beat up by a bunch of thugs in D.C. And either they're going to straighten their act out in terms of government and in terms of protection, and we're going to have to federalize and run it the way it's supposed to be run," Trump said when asked about DOGE cuts.

Trump has criticized the current DC criminal justice system for being too lenient on minors and suggested that offenders as young as 14 should be prosecuted as adults.

When asked for clarification regarding the image of the bloodied young man, the White House directed inquiries to the D.C. U.S. Attorney's office, which did not immediately respond to request for comment.

Separately, D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwab wouldn’t comment on specific cases or allegations but said in a statement that no one living in D.C. should experience such a “horrific and disturbing” event.

The young man in the photograph Trump posted is Edward Coristine, a 19-year-old member of Elon Musk's DOGE team who left the Trump administration in June, according to sources familiar.

Coristine, who gained notoriety for his age and going by the online nickname "Big Balls," was a key player on Musk's team and worked across multiple federal agencies.

-ABC News’ Katherine Faulders, Beatrice Peterson, Will Steakin and Kelsey Walsh


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