Fact check: Did Trump actually request National Guard deployment before January 6th Capitol riot?

1. Summary of the results

The question of whether Trump requested National Guard deployment before January 6th is complex and contested. While there is evidence that Trump discussed troop preparations with acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller and Gen. Mark Milley ^[1], there is no concrete evidence of a formal request for 10,000 troops as Trump later claimed ^[2]. The Pentagon has no record of an official request for that specific number ^[2], and multiple officials, including Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby, have confirmed no such formal request was made ^[2].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

Several important contextual elements need to be considered:

• The Department of Defense timeline only mentions a potential deployment of 340 National Guard members, requested by DC Mayor Muriel Bowser, not Trump ^[2]
• Retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg supports Trump's version, claiming he requested troops on January 3rd ^[1]
• The January 6th Committee conducted a thorough investigation and found no evidence supporting Trump's claim ^[3]
• Acting Secretary of Defense Chris Miller's testimony directly contradicted Trump's assertion ^[3]

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The question itself requires additional context to avoid misleading conclusions:

• Trump's narrative about National Guard deployment appears to be part of a broader attempt to rewrite the history of January 6th ^[4]
• There's a significant difference between:

Informal discussions about troops (which did occur) ^[1]

Actual formal requests or orders (which lack evidence) ^[2]

Those who benefit from pushing different narratives include:

• Trump and his allies benefit from the narrative of him taking preventive action
• Trump's opponents benefit from emphasizing the lack of formal action
• The military establishment benefits from maintaining that proper procedures were followed

The key distinction appears to be between informal discussions about troop preparations, which did occur, and formal requests/orders for 10,000 troops, for which no evidence exists.