U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth dismissed criticism of the National Guard during remarks on Thursday, calling protesters “ingrates” and praising Guard members for helping reduce crime in Washington, DC.

During a “D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force” ceremony at Meridian Hill Park in Washington, DC, Hegseth defended the National Guard’s mission, saying it was about restoring law and order rather than politics.

“You do your job no matter what,” Hegseth said. “It’s the sound of ingrates, of ingratitude, of people who are so blinded by ideology they can’t see law and order and common sense in front of them.”

Hegseth argued there was “nothing political” about the Guard’s mission, saying law and order is something “all Americans deserve,” regardless of race, income, or where they live. He told the troops that although many of them were not from Washington, DC, the nation’s capital belongs to all Americans and should be safe as the country marks its 250th anniversary.

Hegseth also praised the Guard for continuing its work despite difficult conditions, saying members would keep doing their jobs long after critics had moved on.

“These ingrates will fade away. They’ll go back to wherever they came from. You will do your job, and you will do it professionally, with courage, boldly, assisting with arrests, helping people who need help,” Hegseth added. “The crime rate here has dropped in staggering amounts, and the media won’t want to admit it because, of course, they’d have to give credit to President Trump, and then they’d have to give credit to the Department of War or to Stephen Miller.”

The Department of Justice announced in January 2025 that violent crime in Washington, DC, had reached its lowest level in roughly 30 years. Compared with 2023, homicides fell 32 percent, robberies dropped 39 percent, and armed carjackings declined 53 percent.