WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump deployed 800 National Guard troops to the streets of Washington, DC, a rare flex of his presidential authority over the military while a court mulls the legality of his prior order sending troops to Los Angeles.

1. Trump activated the National Guard. The president can still call up the National Guard in Washington. His authority is less clear in Los Angeles, where a legal battle continues over his recent deployment of the National Guard despite the objections of Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Hundreds of National Guard troops are expected to begin deployment on the streets of Washington, D.C., on orders from President Donald Trump. The rollout is part of the president’s unprecedented push to combat crime but with DC statistics showing violent crime has fallen in the last two years,