Which federal or local officials requested or approved the 2025 National Guard deployment to DC?

1. Who formally ordered the D.C. deployment: presidential authority and AP’s review

The Associated Press reported that the Washington D.C. National Guard deployment was “ordered by Trump” and that formal orders reviewed by AP extend the D.C. Guard presence through the end of February, indicating the president exercised his authority over D.C. forces in issuing and extending the activation ^[1].

2. The Pentagon’s role: authorization, operational direction and extensions

Reporting shows the Pentagon actively managed and authorized aspects of the deployment—Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is named in coverage as having authorized troops to carry weapons, and Pentagon officials coordinated requests for additional guardsmen from other states at the Pentagon’s direction ^{[2] [3]}. Task force-level statements and Pentagon-directed memos (such as a National Guard Bureau memo) are cited in news coverage describing operational orders and training directives ^{[4] [2]}.

3. Governors and state National Guards: contributors but not the prime approvers for D.C.

Multiple outlets note that hundreds of National Guard personnel from Republican-led states volunteered or were “sent” to Washington at the Pentagon’s request; Task & Purpose described about 2,300 troops in D.C., with roughly 960 from the D.C. Guard and the rest from seven states responding to Pentagon requests ^[3]. These reports show governors or state adjutants provided personnel—often at federal request—but the initial activation for D.C. came from federal authority ^{[1] [3]}.

4. Local D.C. officials protested and litigated; they did not approve the federal activation

Local leaders opposed the deployment and challenged it in court. The D.C. attorney general filed suit arguing the federal use of the Guard in the district was unlawful—described by Brian Schwalb as “involuntary military occupation” in reporting—underscoring that local officials did not request or approve the federal activation ^{[4] [1]}.

5. Who approved operational changes (weapons, patrols, mission scope)?

Reporting specifically ties weapons authorizations and operational changes to Pentagon and Defense Department decisions: Reuters reported the Defense Secretary authorized troops to carry sidearms or rifles, and Joint Task Force-DC statements explained use-of-force limitations while operating under federal orders ^[2]. News accounts also describe Pentagon memoranda instructing quick reaction force training and thresholds ^[4].

6. Legal and institutional friction: federal prerogative vs. local authority

The unique legal status of Washington, D.C.—where the president has direct authority over the D.C. Guard—was emphasized in multiple reports as a reason federal leaders could order the deployment without the mayor’s or a governor’s approval, and that prompted lawsuits and filings from states and D.C. officials disputing the deployment’s legality ^{[1] [3]}.

7. Competing perspectives in coverage

One line of coverage frames the actions as a federal public-safety intervention led by the president and managed by Pentagon officials and the National Guard Bureau ^{[1] [3]}. Another line, emphasized by D.C. officials and litigation, portrays the deployment as an overreach that bypassed local control and raised constitutional and civil-military concerns ^{[4] [1]}. Coverage also notes some D.C. residents and neighborhood officials accepted or requested certain Guard activities (like cleanup), showing nuanced local reactions ^{[5] [1]}.

8. Limitations and what available sources do not say

Available sources do not provide verbatim presidential orders or a complete chain-of-signature document listing every official who signed approval memoranda; they report that Trump “ordered” the deployment and that Pentagon officials issued operational authorizations and requests for troops from states ^{[1] [2]}. Specific internal approval emails, full text of the formal orders, or an exhaustive list of all Department of Defense signatories are not published in the set of articles provided here (not found in current reporting).

9. Bottom line for your original question

Based on the cited reporting, President Donald Trump is named as having ordered the D.C. National Guard deployment and its extension, while Pentagon officials—including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and National Guard Bureau/Pentagon personnel—authorized operational changes, requested additional state Guard forces, and oversaw the mission; local D.C. officials did not request or approve the federal activation and have sued to challenge it ^{[1] [2] [3] [4]}.