The Washington Post issued a public correction Wednesday after initially reporting that National Guard troops were withdrawn from three major cities without any public notice — a claim that was later amended to acknowledge that President Donald Trump had announced the move weeks earlier.
The controversy stemmed from coverage suggesting the Trump administration “quietly” removed federalized National Guard troops from Chicago, Los Angeles, and Portland after a series of court rulings blocked efforts to expand their deployment. In an X post, the outlet initially stated that the withdrawals occurred “with no public acknowledgment.”
That framing quickly unraveled.
In a follow-up correction, the Post clarified: “National Guard troops withdrew from 3 cities with no public acknowledgment, other than a Trump social media post weeks earlier that announced the move. An earlier post, below, failed to note Trump’s post and has been deleted.”
Correction: National Guard troops withdrew from 3 cities with no public acknowledgment, other than a Trump social media post weeks earlier that announced the move. An earlier post, below, failed to note Trump’s post and has been deleted.
More: https://t.co/IL5LHeeal3 pic.twitter.com/b2uiUyiBBH
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) February 11, 2026
The acknowledgment directly undercut the original premise that the withdrawal happened without public notice. Trump had, in fact, posted about the decision on Truth Social in December.
“We are removing the National Guard from Chicago, Los Angeles, and Portland, despite the fact that CRIME has been greatly reduced by having these great Patriots in those cities, and ONLY by that fact,” Trump wrote at the time. He added that federal involvement had prevented the cities from deteriorating further and suggested the administration could return “in a much different and stronger form” if crime surged again.
The deployments began in 2025 after the administration moved to federalize National Guard units, arguing that unrest and public safety concerns required federal intervention. Democratic-led states and local officials challenged the action in court, asserting that the administration exceeded its authority by expanding the Guard’s role without state consent.
Federal judges issued restraining orders blocking expanded deployments in multiple jurisdictions. Appeals courts declined to overturn those rulings, and the Supreme Court later refused to intervene. Following those legal setbacks, Trump publicly announced the troop withdrawal.
