Fact check: Did Trump make any official requests for National Guard deployment before January 6th?

1. Summary of the results

The evidence regarding Trump's National Guard requests before January 6th is complex and contradictory. While some sources indicate discussions about troops took place, there's a crucial distinction between informal conversations and official orders:

• Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg and DoD Inspector General report indicate Trump discussed National Guard deployment with Acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller and Gen. Mark Milley on January 3rd ^[1]
• Trump allegedly requested 10,000 troops specifically, which was reportedly declined due to political optics ^[2]
• However, Acting Secretary Miller directly contradicted claims of an official order in testimony ^[3]
• The Department of Defense has no record of a formal deployment order ^[4]

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

Several important contextual elements are missing from the original question:

• There's a critical distinction between informal discussions and official military orders. While Trump did discuss troop numbers in a call with Miller on January 5th ^[5], this differs from issuing a formal deployment order
• The Department of Defense timeline shows Trump only "concurred" with activating DC National Guard to support law enforcement at the mayor's request ^[5]
• Claims about House Speaker Pelosi's role have been debunked, as she does not direct the National Guard ^[6]

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The question itself oversimplifies a complex situation, potentially leading to misunderstandings:

• Competing Narratives:
• Trump supporters benefit from portraying him as proactively requesting security measures
• Critics benefit from emphasizing the lack of official orders
• Documentation Gap: While verbal discussions occurred, Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby confirmed no formal records exist of such orders ^[4]
• Timeline Confusion: The January 6th Committee's investigation found no evidence of official deployment requests ^[3], though informal discussions did occur ^[5]

The key distinction appears to be between informal discussions, which did occur, and official orders, which multiple sources confirm did not exist.