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OAN Staff Blake Wolf
2:29 PM – Wednesday, August 20, 2025
Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth visited National Guard troops in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday to show their appreciation for the soldiers’ efforts in combating violent crime in the capital — serving them Shake Shack burgers as a gesture of thanks.
Joined by White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, Vance and Hegseth picked up the burgers at Union Station, where the GOP VP praised the troops for their work to “actually keep this place safe.”
Speaking to the media in the chain restaurant, Vance stated: “First of all, we’re saying … thank you to the National Guard folks, to the cops, for actually keeping this place safe. If you look at what’s happened in Washington, D.C., in just the past nine days, we’ve seen a 35% reduction in violent crime [and] we’ve seen over a 50% reduction in robberies.”
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“[These guardsmen are] here because they’re patriots who serve the country and believe we deserve a beautiful, safe capital. And when I talk to all these people, they’re proud of this mission [and] they’re proud to be a part of making sure the rule of law is established. … It’s an honor to be here with you,” Hegseth chimed in.
The vice president also went on to personally address the National Guard members, stating: “You guys bust your ass all day. We give you hamburgers. Not a fair trade, but we’re grateful for everything you guys do.”
However, as Vance spoke with D.C. troops inside the eatery, protesters outside shouted in opposition to Trump’s decision to federalize the National Guard and the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
“You hear these people out here screaming ‘Free D.C.,’” Vance stated. “Let’s free D.C. from lawlessness. Let’s free Washington, D.C., from one of the highest murder rates in the entire world. Let’s free Washington, D.C., so that young families can walk around and feel safe and secure. That’s what we’re trying to free D.C. from.”
“It’s kind of bizarre that we have a bunch of old, primarily White people who are out there protesting the policies that keep people safe when they’ve never felt danger in their entire lives,” he continued.
“Right here in Union Station, you have vagrants, you have drug addicts, you have the chronically homeless, you have the mentally ill who harass, who threatened violence, who attacked families,” Vance added, “And they’ve done it for far too long. This should be a monument to American greatness.”
Roughly 1,900 troops have been deployed to D.C. after President Trump declared a crime emergency in the nation’s capital. It has, so far, resulted in over 550 individuals, according to Attorney General Pam Bondi.
President Trump ordered the federal takeover of the MPD by invoking Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, which allows the federal government to temporarily take control of the department for 30 days. After the 30 days are up, Congress must approve any further extensions, which the Trump administration has suggested may be in the works.
“We’ll ultimately let the president of the United States determine where we are after 30 days of this, of this emergency order. I think that we’re going to make a lot of progress over the next 20 days,” Vance stated. “I think we’re nine days into this thing. But if the president of the United States thinks that he has to extend his order to ensure that people have access to public safety, then that’s exactly what he’ll do. If he thinks he doesn’t have to do that, obviously we’ll make that determination,” Vance added.
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