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Trump takes over DC police, deploys National Guard; internet calls it ploy to distract from Epstein list
Critics argue Trump’s deployment of the National Guard in DC is a distraction from the Epstein files.
A section of the internet is convinced that Donald Trump’s takeover of the Washington DC police and deployment of the National Guard is nothing more than a ploy to distract from the Epstein drama.
The US president said on Monday he was deploying 800 National Guard troops to Washington and temporarily taking over the city's police department, ostensibly to crack down on crime and homelessness in the city. "Our capital city has been overtaken by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals," Trump said at a news conference at the White House.
He announced that he would be federalizing the DC police and deploying the National Guard to the nation’s capital as part of his efforts to “rescue” Washington from lawlessness.
Not everyone is buying his story.
A distraction from Epstein drama?
On social media, the move proved deeply divisive, with some calling it a direct blow to democracy and others praising Trump. Many of Trump’s detractors put forward the theory that the US president was doing this to distract the public from the Jeffery Epstein drama.
Trump has been under immense pressure to release the Epstein files – a term often used informally to refer to individuals allegedly connected to Jeffrey Epstein, the financier and convicted sex offender who was arrested in 2019 on federal charges of sex trafficking of minors and died in jail later that year.
Trump was known to be friendly with Epstein for years, until their relationship allegedly soured. The Trump administration has denied the very existence of Epstein files, despite earlier promising to release them.
What Trump detractors are saying
“Trump sending hundreds of National Guard troops to Washington, D.C. isn’t because of crime… This isn’t about safety—it’s about control… (and distraction from the Epstein Files)” wrote X user Shea Jordan Smith.
American politician Pete Buttigieg seconded this theory, claiming that Trump is mixed up in the Epstein files.
“The thing about Trump deploying the National Guard to evict homeless people in DC - he’s implicated in the Epstein files,” an X user wrote, sharing an old image that shows Trump posing with Epstein.
“The craziest thing about Donald Trump deploying the national guard in Washington DC is that his name is all over the Epstein files and they’re still refusing to release them,” another X user added.
“Trump is mobilizing the National Guard against Americans in DC to distract you his administration's massive Epstein Files cover-up,” a user said.
