JD Vance serves burgers to troops, praising their efforts amid chants of ‘free DC’ from protesters at Union Station.

By Trevor Hunnicutt and Joseph Ax WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Top Trump administration officials on Wednesday thanked troops deployed in the nation's capital and blasted demonstrators opposed to the aggressive anti-crime efforts as "stupid white hippies.

Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth visited with National Guard troops at Washington, D.C.'

The protest comes as West Virginia, South Carolina, and Ohio announced they would deploy hundreds of additional National Guard troops to the nation's capital.

An activist group called Refuse Fascism led the demonstrators as they marched down Connecticut Avenue to the National Mall, filling the road and blocking traffic. Many were wearing bright orange bandannas and holding signs with slogans, including “Trump Must Go Now” and “No ICE! No National Guard!”

As Vice President JD Vance staged a lunch to thank the National Guard members that President Donald Trump has deployed to Washington, DC, he was frequently drowned out by protesters.

The VP dismissed the demonstrators as ‘old, primarily white people’ who have ‘never felt danger in their entire lives.’

As protesters chanted nearby, U.S. Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller visited National Guardsmen in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday.

Protesters in Washington, D.C., pushed back over the weekend against President Donald Trump's growing federal military and law enforcement deployment in the capital.