AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu Secretary of Defense Mark Esper urged governors to use the National Guard to "dominate the battlespace" — American cities in this case — amid continued unrest. His comments came on a call in which President Donald Trump criticized state leaders for being weak and demanded they move to "dominate." As of Sunday morning, there were 5,000 National Guard troops responding to unrest in 15 states and Washington DC.