US states pledge National Guard troops for Washington if requested

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, left, and Republican presidential nominee former president Donald Trump (AP)

More than two dozen states have indicated they would be willing to send National Guard troops to Washington if requested following the presidential election and in the run-up to the inauguration, Guard officials said.

The District of Columbia has not made any formal requests for Guard troops, but officials across the government have been preparing for the possibility the US Capitol could again be rocked by violence around the certification of the election by Congress on January 6 and the inauguration two weeks later.