Anger and frustration dotted the city as Vice President JD Vance lauded an operation that he asserted has "brought some law and order back."
The tense situation, which began more than a week ago, appeared primed for escalating confrontations between residents who say they feel under siege and federal forces carrying out the president's vision of militarised law enforcement in Democratic cities. Other residents have said they welcome the federal efforts as a way to cut crime and bolster safety.
Vance and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth shared burgers with soldiers at the city's main railroad hub as they were loudly jeered by demonstrators gathered nearby.
The appearance, a striking scene that also included White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, illustrated the Republican administration's intense dedication to an initiative that has polarised the Democratic-led city.
"You guys are doing a hell of a job," Vance told the troops assembled in the Union Station Shake Shack. While protest chants echoed through the restaurant, he rejected polling that shows city residents don't support the National Guard deployment as a solution to crime.
Trump has already suggested replicating his approach to DC in other cities, such as Chicago and Baltimore. He previously deployed the National Guard and the Marines in Los Angeles in response to immigration protests.
In the seven months since Trump took office for the second time, the traditionally liberal city of Washington has buckled under his more aggressive presidency. Thousands of federal employees have been laid off, landmark institutions like the Smithsonian are being overhauled on grounds of doctrine, and local leaders have been increasingly wary of angering the commander-in-chief.
Now parts of the city are bristling with resentment over Trump's approach. Spectators chanted " free DC " at a soccer game. On some nights, people bang pots and pans outside their front doors in a cacophonous display of defiance.
An armoured National Guard vehicle collided with a civilian car in the early morning Wednesday, trapping the driver inside until emergency crews arrived. The massive military transport towered over the crushed sport utility vehicle.
"You come to our city and this is what you do? Seriously?" a woman yelled at the troops in a video posted online.
An estimated 1,900 troops are being deployed in total, with most posted in downtown areas like the National Mall, metro stations and near the park where baseball's Washington Nationals play.
Col Larry Doane, the commander of the joint task force in the DC National Guard, said they're trying to provide "an extra set of eyes and ears" for police and "helping them maintain control of the situation."
The actions from law enforcement have occasionally veered beyond safety and crime reduction and into regulating expression. Over the weekend, masked agents took down a profane protest banner in the Mount Pleasant neighbourhood — to the apparent delight of the administration, which posted a video of the incident online. "We're taking America back, baby," one of the agents said in the video.
The White House said more than 550 people have been arrested so far, and the US Marshals are offering $500 rewards for information leading to additional arrests. "Together, we will make DC safe again!" Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote on social media. City statistics show crime was already declining before Trump's intervention, despite his claims of a crisis necessitating the federal takeover of the DC police department.
The number of people arrested each day in Washington has increased by about 20 per cent since the government began sending in a surge of federal agents, according to law enforcement data.
