Trump’s DC Troop Deployment Allowed by Appeals Court for Now

Members of the National Guard patrol in Washington on Nov. 27. — Members of the National Guard patrol in Washington on Nov. 27.
Photographer: Alex Wroblewski/Bloomberg

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By Zoe Tillman

December 4, 2025 at 8:57 PM UTC

Updated on

December 4, 2025 at 9:20 PM UTC

A US appeals court will allow President Donald Trump to keep thousands of National Guard troops in Washington for now, temporarily halting a district judge’s ruling that declared the deployment unlawful.

The order on Thursday from a three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit isn’t a final decision, but it bolsters Trump’s efforts to mobilize military forces in Democrat-led cities, often over objections from local officials.