National Guard troops on patrol in D.C. for President Trump's crime crackdown on the national capital began carrying weapons Sunday night, the U.S. military said. The big picture: Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth authorized the action on Friday and a Joint Task Force-DC spokesperson confirmed they were "cleared to carry their service- issue weapon" late Sunday.

National Guard troops on duty in President Trump’s D.C. crackdown began carrying weapons Sunday evening, according to a spokesman for the National Guard task force. Several members of the Guard from South Carolina were seen late Sunday outside Washington’s Union Station with firearms holstered to their hips.

US National Guard members deployed to Washington, DC, started carrying their sidearms on Sunday, a spokesperson for the Joint Task Force carrying out the mission told CNN.