Trump Threatens Emergency Declaration to Extend DC Troop Deployment

President Donald Trump said he is willing to declare a national emergency that would let him keep National Guard troops stationed in Washington, D.C., beyond the current deployment schedule. “If I have a national emergency, I can keep the troops there as long as I want,” he told reporters on Friday. Trump added that invoking emergency powers would effectively remove any existing deadline for the Guard’s withdrawal. He did not specify whether a decision was imminent nor detail how long the troops might remain in the capital under such an order.