Veterans and Military Families Strongly Condemn Trump’s Politicization of Troops Today

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 11, 2025

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Common Defense, the nation’s largest grassroots veterans organization, condemns in the strongest possible terms President Trump's announcement today that he will place the Washington, D.C., police department under federal control and deploy 800 National Guard troops to the nation’s capitol. This would be the first time in U.S. history that a president has federalized the district’s police force, and is a continuation of his policies that have weaponized our troops for his own political ambitions. 

In response to this, Naveed Shah, Political Director of Common Defense had this to say:

“Common Defense is deeply alarmed that our Commander-in-Chief continues to weaponize our military as a tool for his own political ambitions. Servicemembers enlist to serve their country, not the political whims of President Trump and his administration, and certainly not to violate the Constitution. 

“As veterans who swore an oath to defend the Constitution, we know the military's purpose is not to occupy our own capital and police our own people. Trump is turning our service members into his personal enforcement squad. Trump’s executive order seizing control of D.C.’s police, citing a "crime emergency" is a manufactured crisis. This deployment isn't about public safety—it's about power and intimidation. 

“We've seen this playbook before. Dictators throughout history have used "public safety" as cover for military crackdowns on dissent. We won't let it happen here. Veterans like myself  fought for a nation rooted in justice and freedom, not one where police are federalized, the vulnerable are scapegoated, and insurrectionists are pardoned while local governance is dismantled.”

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Common Defense was founded in 2016. We empower veterans to stand up for our communities against the rising tide of racism, hate, and violence, to organize against the entrenched powers that have rigged our economy, and to champion an equitable and representative democracy, where “liberty and justice” truly is for all. For too long, politicians from both political parties have