WASHINGTON — Commuters and tourists encountered heightened security around the White House on Wednesday, as National Guard troops joined forces with the U.S. Secret Service and Washington Metropolitan Police in anticipation of a high-level diplomatic visit from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Roads around the White House have been closed and D.C. Public Works Department snowplows have been pressed into service as roadblocks to create an enhanced perimeter around the White House complex.
National Guard troops manned a roadblock at 18th and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, assisting MPD and the US Secret Service in redirecting traffic and pedestrians.
The bolstered security posture comes as President Donald Trump hosts Erdoğan for a bilateral meeting focused on regional security, energy partnerships, and NATO cooperation.
The National Guard deployment is part of what administration officials have described as a broader “crackdown on crime” in the nation’s capital. While Guard personnel are conducting visible patrols along the National Mall, near Union Station, and in several other high-profile areas, they are not authorized to carry out law enforcement duties or make arrests.
In a notable expansion of their role, several Guard units have also been assigned to civic maintenance tasks under the administration’s so-called “beautification” initiative. Troops were seen cleaning city parks, collecting trash, and performing light landscaping around public spaces across Washington.
