National Guard troops deployed to Washington, D.C. are preparing to carry weapons in the coming days, according to people familiar with the change, a shift that comes days after President Trump said he was sending them to “take back” the capital from what he described as violent criminals.

After President Donald Trump's announcement that his administration would take over Washington’s police department for at least a month, hundreds of members of the National Guard began to arrive

Dressed in camouflage fatigues, National Guard troops patrolled areas of Washington Thursday, dispatched by President Donald Trump to police what he has called "out of control crime" in the city.

A significantly larger National Guard presence is expected across Washington, D.C. starting Wednesday, as operations shift from evening patrols to around-the-clock deployment, according to a White House official.