History Main / WashingtonDCInvasion

* A minor example, but still qualifies -- on January 6th, 2021, egged on by UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump and other Republican politicians, a mob of several thousand people [[Sandbox/StormingOfTheUnitedStatesCapitol attacked the U.S. Capitol building]] in a bid to stop the Electoral Vote count and attack Democratic politicians, due to Trump's disproven allegations of electoral fraud. They were eventually repelled when the National Guard arrived hours later, and the National Guard remained in the Capitol for several weeks. Still, a few people were killed as a result, including one supporter who was trampled by her colleagues, and a policeman who died from injuries sustained during the assault, ultimately the casaulties amounted to 5, though the mob came very close to various prominent politicians, including the Vice-President.[[/folder]]

[[folder:AnimeAndManga]]

[[folder:Comicbooks]]

* ''Comicbook/CaptainCarrotAndHisAmazingZooCrew'' saw Waspington, DC (Washington's Earth-C counterpart) attacked on several occasions by villains.
* In the sequel to ''ComicBook/FreddyVsJasonVsAsh'', the US government gives us possibly the most suicidal example of the "we can exploit this dangerous creature's powers" trope in all fiction - resurrecting Freddy and Jason. The result? Freddy declares himself PresidentEvil, with a Deadite army (that they'd ''also'' had on hand) led by Jason storming Washington.
* ''ComicBook/WonderWoman'' [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1942 Volume 1]]: While the Saturnian Empire's initial invasion plans were not directed at D.C. when those are called off and the Empire forms a treaty with the US instead Eviless' own little invasion targets D.C. She's framing the Saturnian ambassador for it in an attempt to destroy the new alliance.

* In ''FanFic/MegaManDefenderOfTheHumanRace'', [=ProtoMan=] plans this in episode 9, but it doesn't happen due to Wily's interference. Wily then steals his idea to use in episode 11.
* ''Fanfic/CorelineOperationEndgame'': The second act of the story follows the heroes as they try their best to stem a ''massive'' invasion of DC by CHIMERA (an epic VillainTeamUp army composed of groups like COBRA, SPECTRE, the Decepticons and the Legion Of Doom. Think the GreatOffscreenWar of ''ComicBook/OldManLogan''). Even with multiple reinforcements requested and several of the heroes being a veritable OneManArmy, the best they can do is HoldTheLine long enough for the President to be safely evacuated (and deny CHIMERA one of its biggest targets).
* In ''Fanfic/TheConversionBureauTheOtherSideOfTheSpectrum'', [[LesCollaborateurs the PER]] working in collusion with the [[TheEmpire Solar Empire]] launched an all-out assault on Washington DC to take out the heads of America's military (as the USA was one of the few countries that hasn't been too seriously affected by the barrier and provides much of the backbone of earth's military response to the empire's xenocidal campaign). The end result has the American president take the NuclearOption.

[[folder:Film]]

* Inverted in ''Film/{{The War Of The Worlds|1953}}'' (1953), where Washington is the only major capital not to be attacked by the Martians.

* The original ''Film/TheDayTheEarthStoodStill1951'' starts with a spaceship landing on the National Mall. Not an invasion, but no one told the Army. [[Film/TheDayTheEarthStoodStill2008 The remake]] moves the film to [[BigApplesauce New York]].

* DC is hit in ''Film/TransformersDarkOfTheMoon'', and there are a few nods given to the last time a Transformers series showed the Decepticons attacking the capital of the USA

* [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] in ''Series/TheManInTheHighCastle''. Instead of invading Washington D.C. during their conquest of America, ThoseWackyNazis just dropped an atomic bomb on it instead.

[[folder:Videogames]]
* ''VideoGame/ModernWarfare 2'' plays with this trope. The Russian invasion encompasses ''all'' of the East Coast states (starting with Northeastern Virginia), and Washington is only assaulted relatively late into the invasion, persumably after the Russians managed to break through the other states in their way. Either that or the PlayerCharacter simply wasn't sent there yet. Fittingly, the final battle of it is you storming the White House. America winning it was the turning point in the invasion, but prior to it things were so bad [[GodzillaThreshold the military was going to level the entire city.]]

* The first missions of ''Jungle Strike'' are set in Washington DC, and the bad guys send tanks and missile trucks to destroy the famous landmarks and invade the White House. [[ItsUpToYou You are the only person doing anything at all about it]].
* ''Creator/TomClancy'':
** VideoGame/{{HAWX}}'' features a PMC [[NGOSuperpower launching a multi-pronged attack on the USA]]. One of their main goals is to kidnap/kill the President, so of course, they invade Washington DC. Good thing the HAWX Squadron are there to repel them!
*** They actually do manage to blow up the White House, but the First Family was currently on Air Force One. Which Artemis quickly tries to shoot down, and whom the HAWX have to defend.
** In ''VideoGame/EndWar'', since it's the American capital, Washington DC can be invaded.

* ''VideoGame/MetalWolfChaos'': In the first mission, [[OurPresidentsAreDifferent President Michael Wilson]] fights his way out of TheWhiteHouse and through a secret bunker to launch UsefulNotes/AirForceOne [[RuleOfCool through the Washington Monument's moon pool]] as [[EvilChancellor Vice President RICHAAARD! Hawk]] invades the city, though Washington D.C. is one of the last major cities Michael retakes.
* In the {{backstory}} of ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes'', Nemesis attacked Washington DC near the end of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, and even managed to stage a ceremony where he was sworn in as Emperor of the Americas before heroes drove him out.

* Pulling off one of these is the ultimate goal of the Confederate player in the ''VideoGame/CivilWarGenerals'' series.
* ''VideoGame/AceCombatAssaultHorizon'' culminates in DC, where the BigBad tries to nuke the White House.

* An invasion of Washington is the best possible ending of ''VideoGame/PanzerGeneral''.
* The final level of ''VideoGame/{{Octogeddon}}'' involves the titular giant octopus destroying Washington D.C. and TheWhiteHouse.

* Dr. Wily tries this in one episode of the [[WesternAnimation/MegaMan Ruby-Spears Megaman cartoon]].
* The WesternAnimation/DCUniverseAnimatedOriginalMovies film ''{{WesternAnimation/Wonder Woman|2009}}'' has [[BigBad Ares]] invading Washington DC with an army of monsters and [[spoiler: zombie Amazons]]. When the army can't beat them, an army of Amazons arrive to defend the city. Notable for coming out shortly after the controversial ''ComicBook/AmazonsAttack'', where the Amazons are the ones ''invading'' DC.
* The episode "Atlantis, Arise!" from ''WesternAnimation/TheTransformers''. Featuring highlights such as the Autobots having to melt the masonry of the Washington Monument back together (somehow), and Megatron ripping the Abe Lincoln part of the Lincoln Memorial off the chair so that he can use the chair as a throne.
* Similarly, the episode "Arise, Serpentor, Arise" from ''WesternAnimation/GIJoe'', which featured Cobra seizing the capitol, and Serpentor using the Lincoln Memorial as a throne room. (He brought in a gold throne, and sat it in the statue of Lincoln's ''lap.'')

* A minor example, but still qualifies- on January 6th, 2021, egged on by UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump and other Republican politicians, a mob of several thousand people attacked the U.S. Capitol building in a bid to stop the Electoral Vote count and attack Democratic politicians, due to Trump's disproven allegations of electoral fraud. They were eventually repelled when the National Guard arrived hours later, and the National Guard remained in the Capitol for several weeks. Still, a few people were killed as a result, including one supporter who was trampled by her colleagues, and a policeman who died from injuries sustained during the assault, ultimately the casaulties amounted to 5, though the mob came very close to various prominent politicians, including the Vice-President.[[/folder]]

* A minor example, but still qualifies- on January 6th, 2021, egged on by UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump and other Republican politicians, a mob of several thousand people attacked the U.S. Capitol building in a bid to stop the Electoral Vote count and attack Democratic politicians. They were eventually repelled when the National Guard arrived hours later, and the National Guard remained in the Capitol for several weeks. Still, a few people were killed as a result, including one supporter who was trampled by her colleagues, and a policeman who died from injuries sustained during the assault.[[/folder]]

* A minor example, but still qualifies- on January 6th, 2021, egged on by UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump and other Republican politicians, a mob of several thousand people attacked the U.S. Capitol building in a bid to stop the Electoral Vote count and attack Democratic politicians. They were eventually repelled when the National Guard arrived hours later, and the National Guard remained in the Capitol for several weeks. Still, a few people were killed as a result, including one supporter who was trampled by her colleagues, and a policeman who had bear repellent sprayed in his face.
[[/folder]]

* A minor example, but still qualifies- on January 6th, 2021, egged on by UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump and other Republican politicians, a mob of several thousand people attacked the U.S. Capitol building in a bid to stop the Electoral Vote count and attack Democratic politicians. They were eventually repelled when the National Guard arrived hours later, and the National Guard remained in the Capitol for several weeks.

* A minor example, but still qualifies- at one point, egged on by his poor choice of words, supporters of UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump attacked the U.S. Capitol building in a bid to stop the Electoral Vote count. They were eventually repelled when the National Guard arrived, and the National Guard remained in the Capitol for several weeks.

* Ultimately averted in ''Literature/{{Victoria}}''. In the last stages of the Second Civil War, the [[DeepSouth New Confederacy's]] forces do move on Washington, but it falls before they get there, rioters and gangsters turning it into a burned-out ruin as the demoralized remaining Federal troops (and anyone else who can) flee the doomed city.

* The UsefulNotes/WarOf1812. The British (in)famously burned down the White House, the Capitol, and the Treasury among other public buildings as part of the Chesapeake campaign. The overall campaign was a failure, however, due to the British failure to take Baltimore's Fort [=McHenry=] (memorialized in poem and later song with [[EarWorm/NationalAnthems The Star-Spangled Banner]].)

This is a SubTrope of CreatorProvincialism and InvadedStatesOfAmerica. Related to MonumentalDamage. See also the trope image for DirtyCommunists. Contrast with AliensInCardiff.

** The Race in ''Literature/{{Worldwar}}'' don't bother invading Washington DC--they just ''nuke'' it. This is considered a MoralEventHorizon for many who had previously collaborated with the Race (whose only other nuking to this point was an attack on Nazi Germany's capital Berlin). The Race themselves didn't see how it was any different. Propaganda films made much of a horror-inducing scene of the city turned to glass and panning to reveal the melted stub of the Washington Monument.

* The UsefulNotes/WarOf1812. The British famously burned down the White House, the Capitol, and the Treasury among other public buildings as part of the Chesapeake campaign. The overall campaign was a failure, however, due to the British failure to take Baltimore's Fort [=McHenry=] (memorialized in poem and later song with [[EarWorm/NationalAnthems The Star-Spangled Banner]].)

** Utterly bizarre version in the ''VideoGame/RedAlert3Paradox'' mod, where the ''Americans'' are invading the city, held by the Allied Nations.

* [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] in ''Series/TheManInTheHighCastle''. Instead of invading Washington D.C. during their conquest of America, they just dropped an atomic bomb on it instead.

* That joke above about how DC traffic would thwart any invasion is actually the basis of [[https://www.quora.com/Is-Washington-D-Cs-road-system-designed-to-intimidate-foreign-policy-makers-and-diplomats-when-they-visit an urban legend]] about the L'Enfant Plan, the master plan for the city that produced its unique layout. The legend goes that Pierre Charles L'Enfant, the engineer who designed the city, laid out the streets with the intention of confounding any army that tried to attack it, leading them down avenues that didn't bring them to their targets. In truth, the squares and circles that the city was built around were originally supposed to be the home of "embassies" for each of the states, an idea that, in practice, was soon abandoned as the states were uninterested. (Washington, D.C., like most master-planned cities, was actually built to be fairly open and easy to navigate.)

* ''VideoGame/ModernWarfare 2'' plays with this trope. The Russian invasion encompasses ''all'' of the East Coast states (starting with Northeastern Virginia), and Washington is only assaulted relatively late into the invasion, persumably after the Russians managed to break through the other states in their way. Fittingly, the final battle of it is you storming the White House. America winning it was the turning point in the invasion, but prior to it things were so bad [[GodzillaThreshold the military was going to level the entire city.]]

[[caption-width-right:320:AndThereWasMuchRejoicing]]

* The WesternAnimation/DCUniverseAnimatedOriginalMovies film ''WesternAnimation/WonderWoman'' has [[BigBad Ares]] invading Washington DC with an army of monsters and [[spoiler: zombie Amazons]]. When the army can't beat them, an army of Amazons arrive to defend the city. Notable for coming out shortly after the controversial ''ComicBook/AmazonsAttack'', where the Amazons are the ones ''invading'' DC.

* ''VideoGame/ModernWarfare 2'' plays with this trope. The Russian invasion encompasses ''all'' of the East Coast states (starting with Northeastern Virginia), and Washington is only assaulted relatively late into the invasion, persumably after the Russians managed to break through the other states in their way. Fittingly, the final battle of it is you storming the White House. America winning it was the turning point in the invasion, but prior to it things so were bad the the military was going to level the entire city.

** In a fairly early mission briefing for the first ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerTiberianDawn'''s NOD campaign, Kane's right-hand man sends your forces to Washington DC to attack the Pentagon, against Kane's wishes. He doesn't get enough time to regret this, and the attack is called off.
** In ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerTiberiumWars'', the first act of the Nod campaign is a multi-stage invasion of DC and the environs, with special attention paid to the White House and Langley AFB. The first act of the ''GDI'' campaign is kicking the aforesaid invasion back ''out'' of the city, starting with the Siege of the Pentagon.

* The "Storm Front" two-parter of ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise'' takes place in [[AlternateTimelineNaziVictory an alternate timeline where the Nazis]] [[InvadedStatesOfAmerica invaded the eastern United States]] with help from time-traveling aliens from the future. This is demonstrated with the White House draped in swastikas.

* The final level of ''VideoGame/Octogeddon'' involves the titular giant octopus destroying Washington D.C. and TheWhiteHouse.

* The intro of ''VideoGame/ShatteredUnion'' shows DC suffering a terrorist nuclear attack.
** The (remains of) the city itself can be invaded, as it is held at the start of the campaign by the EU.

* Similarly, the episode "Arise, Serpentor, Arise" from ''GIJoe'', which featured Cobra seizing the capitol, and Serpentor using the Lincoln Memorial as a throne room. (He brought in a gold throne, and sat it in the statue of Lincoln's ''lap.'')

* UsefulNotes/WarOf1812. The British famously burned down the White House, the Capitol, and Treasury among other public buildings as part of the Chesapeake campaign. The overall campaign was a failure, however, due to the British failure to take Baltimore's Fort [=McHenry=] (later memorialized in song with [[EarWorm/NationalAnthems The Star Spangled Banner]].)
* In UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar, the Confederacy ''wanted'' to do this, but the closest they got was [[GeneralFailure General Jubal Early]], whose army reached the outskirts of Washington before being repelled at the Battle of Fort Stevens, where UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln watched the fighting with his top-hat on and was famously told ''"Get down, you fool!"'' by [[YoungFutureFamousPeople future Supreme Court Justice]] Oliver Wendell Holmes, no less!