General Discussion

With this in mind, the Republican raised plenty of eyebrows on Thursday afternoon with an unexpected announcement on a conservative radio program.

Trump: "I'm going to be going out tonight [in D.C.], I think, with the police and with the military of course."

— The Bulwark (@thebulwark.com) 2025-08-21T17:18:42.647Z

.....As it happens, the speculation proved unnecessary. The Washington Post reported:

Some protesters brought pots, pans and spoons in their backpacks, prepared to bang them together and make their anger at Trump’s federal law enforcement surge known. ... But Trump never patrolled. Instead, he returned to the White House.

Instead of following through on his curious boast, the Republican spoke for about 10 minutes to a group of uniformed personnel outside a U.S. Park Police operations center in the city’s Anacostia neighborhood.....

Whether the federal officials, law enforcement personnel and National Guard troops on hand found all of this confusing is also unclear — but either way, those assuming Trump would follow through by going on patrol in the streets of the nation’s capital were left disappointed.