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.

When the chef Rock Harper read the news this month that President Trump was going to send the National Guard into the streets of Washington, D.C., to crack down on crime, he immediately worried about how this would impact business at Hill Prince, his casual bar and restaurant on the perpetually busy H Street corridor.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A National Guard vehicle collided with a civilian car less than a mile from the U.S. Capitol on Thursday morning as troops continued to take up positions around the city during President Donald Trump’s crackdown.

Hecklers directed their ire at Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller this week when the trio visited National Guard troops statio

The number of troops in the city is expected to grow. But Army officials appear to be trying to keep them on the sidelines of President Trump’s mission.

The moves came as protesters pushed back on federal law enforcement and National Guard troops fanning out in the heavily Democratic city following President Donald Trump’s executive order.

On Aug. 11, President Donald Trump unveiled plans to dispatch National Guard troops and federalize the Metropolitan Police to address crime in Washington.