National Guard Deploying 7,800 Troops To Secure Inauguration, Washington DC To Be “Locked Down”

Four years ago the Biden’s inauguration was guarded by more than 20,000 National Guard troops.

I could be wrong, but I can’t recall a single known assassination attempt made against President Biden.

In a matter of days, with several recent assassination attempts under his belt, President Trump will take the oath of office with almost 8,000 troops deployed around Washington DC — a little more than a third of the troops fielded for Biden’s swearing in ceremony.

Nevertheless, that is still a lot of boots on the ground.

And according to the reports coming out about the security planning, Washington DC is going to be locked down tight on January 20th.

MAP BREAK

DC is going to be on LOCKDOWN on Inauguration Day pic.twitter.com/1qY4U7BW6i

— Jack Poso 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) January 14, 2025

In case you couldn’t read the legend on that map, the red lines are the streets in DC that will be fully shut down for a full 24 hours the day President Trump takes the oath of office.

Many of us have been raging online lately, calling for a comprehensive security plan ahead of the inauguration.

While there is still ample room for error, and quite a bit of concern leading up to the big event, at least we finally know there will be a reasonable deployment of personnel charged with protecting President Trump and the thousands of attendees.

DC police, National Guard activated inside locked down DC. military transport vehicles and white buses moved to DC Armory in preparation for inauguration.

also a new enclosed presidential viewing structure looks completed with bleachers built on both sides.

what would normally… pic.twitter.com/T8raa42Sz6

— The Rubber Duck ™ (@TheRubberDuck79) January 7, 2025

The request for 7,800 troops is expected to be approved by the Pentagon in the coming days. The Secret Service is the lead agency for the inauguration.https://t.co/oF6HOZIz9v

— Stars and Stripes (@starsandstripes) January 7, 2025

Besides the Guard troops, there will also be several thousand civilian law enforcement.

There are currently 30 miles of special fencing going up, as well as drones to surveil for threats from above according to a report in Axios:

President-elect Trump’s inauguration on Monday will feature some of the most stringent security measures ever taken for a national security event.

Expect a convergence of inauguration-goers and demonstrators to spark increased traffic, road closures and transit detours.

There are 250,000 ticketed guests, and thousands more are expected on the National Mall on Jan. 20, U.S. Capitol Police chief Thomas Manger said at a press conference Monday.

• There will be over 25,000 law enforcement and military personnel — including 4,000 officers coming in from other cities and 7,800 National Guard members.
• 30 miles of anti-scale fencing will be installed, the most ever for an inauguration.
• Drones will assist in surveillance.

Many have suspected in recent weeks that we may see a last minute “change” in plans announced — with President Trump holding his inauguration elsewhere, possibly in Mar-a-Lago because of the ongoing security threats against him.

Many of us have been calling for that pragmatic decision, hoping to avoid a repeat attempt on the President’s life.

But judging by the Capitol Police, it seems as though we’re set for the classic inaugural ceremony.

BREAKING: Almost 8,000 National Guardsmen have been activated to help protect President Trump and patriots on Inauguration Day.

The Inauguration must be the safest place on Earth. Not a single tragedy should be allowed to take place.

Ultimately, God will keep us safe. pic.twitter.com/VD098vUGma

— George (@BehizyTweets) January 13, 2025

Besides the obvious crowd management and protection of sensitive sites, National Guard soldiers are expected to cover a range of security needs during the inauguration.

The Guard soldiers are planning a comprehensive operation to keep everyone safe, coordinating with “partner agencies” according to an article published by the National Guard Association:

The National Guard will support the 60th presidential inauguration on Jan. 20 with about 7,800 Soldiers and Airmen, according to Maj. Gen. John Andonie, the commanding general of the District of Columbia National Guard.

These Guardsmen will provide outer and inner perimeter security support to the Secret Service, U.S. Capitol Police and Washington, D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department, Andonie said during a Jan. 3 press conference.

Guardsmen will provide security support, crowd management, transportation and medical assistance during the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump, according to Brig. Gen. Craig M. Maceri, the PI60 Joint Task Force-DC commander and the commander of the D.C. Guard’s Land Component Command.

“We are closely aligned with our partner agencies and are trained and equipped for the mission at hand, and I’m confident our planning and preparation will enable this historic and dignified event to proceed seamlessly,” he added.

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Approximately 40 states and territories have Guard formations participating in the inauguration.

Last week’s press conference about the inauguration involved the Guard, the District of Columbia’s mayor’s office, the FBI, the Secret Service, the Defense Department, the U.S. Capitol Police and the MPD. The Secret Service is the agency leading the efforts in support of the inauguration.

Although he is resigning his post, FBI Director Chris Wray has warned that foreign actors may attempt to carry out attacks during the inauguration.

On the heels of the January 1st terror attack in New Orleans, the possibility of an attack by individuals or groups is being taken seriously — or at least it appears to be.

That said, law enforcement is not anticipating any major problems, according to a report by NewsNation:

President-elect Donald Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration will be under heightened security in the wake of two national security events — a terror attack in New Orleans and a Cybertruck explosion in Las Vegas.

Law enforcement is preparing for potential demonstrations this time around but is not anticipating any major problems, the Associated Press reported.

In a Capitol Police intelligence assessment report released earlier this month, obtained by ABC News, authorities expect the “civil unrest” trend in 2020 to repeat in 2024.

In an interview with CBS News, FBI Director Christopher Wray said his agency was “not tracking any specific or credible threats to the inauguration.”

“What I would tell you, though, is that we’re dealing with a threat landscape where terrorists, whether they be foreign, jihadist-inspired or domestic terrorists or others, can move from radicalization to action quite quickly, often with very crude but still lethal attacks,” Wray told the outlet.

While no threat can be completely mitigated, the urgency to foresee potential dangers before they present in the form of a repeat assassination attempt should be obvious.

There remains the possibility that President Trump’s team could still implement an emergency protocol and simply refuse to expose him to that threat.

But the window for taking that approach is rapidly closing.

With nearly 8,000 National Guard and 25,000 law enforcement preparing to show up in just one week, if changes are going to be made… they would need to be made soon.

In the meantime, we will continue to bring you the latest developments as President Trump’s SECOND first day in office draws ever closer!