Several individuals at a military base near Washington D.C. were taken to the hospital after a ‘suspicious package’ containing white powder and political materials was opened.

The incident occurred around 1 p.m. on Thursday at Joint Base Andrews in a building that houses the Air National Guard Readiness Center. This prompted an evacuation, and several people were transported to the Malcolm Grove Medical Center located on the base, according to a report by CNN.

“Joint Base Andrews first responders were dispatched to the scene, determined there were no immediate threats, and have turned the scene over to the Office of Special Investigations,” officials stated.

Currently, an investigation is underway.

As part of this ongoing investigation, authorities are focusing on the political materials that accompanied the unknown substance. The room where the envelope was opened remains sealed off for safety and investigative purposes.

It remains unclear what may have caused the soldiers to fall ill, as one source told CNN that an initial field test conducted by a HAZMAT team did not detect anything dangerous.

It is also unclear whether anyone or any specific department was targeted at the base, from where the president, vice president and members of Congress take off for official trips.

But it comes one month after a federal office building in New York City had to be evacuated after employees found another envelope containing white powder.

President Trump is pictured at Joint Base Andrews on Wednesday, just one day before soldiers were hospitalized 

Authorities say someone opened a ‘suspicious package’ that was reportedly containing white powder and political propaganda at the base. Air Force One is pictured at Joint Base Andrews in 2009

A building on the base (pictured) had to evacuated in the aftermath

The building houses the city’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office as well as the Department of Homeland Security, though it is unclear if the suspicious envelope was directed at either office.

Tensions across the country have only increased since then, however, amid the nation’s longest-ever government shutdown, which has seen federal employees like air traffic controllers working without pay for weeks and left millions of Americans without food stamps.

Trump has since admitted the shutdown contributed to Tuesday night’s election losses for Republicans. 

‘I think if you read the pollsters, the shutdown was a big factor – negative for the Republicans,’ the president told GOP senators at a breakfast on Wednesday, after Democrats proved victorious throughout the country. 

Progressive Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani won the New York City mayor’s race with 50.4 percent of the vote – compared to runner up and former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s 41.6 percent. Mamdani will be the first Muslim and South Asian mayor of America’s largest city. 

Further south, Democrat Abigail Spanberger won her Virginia race against Republican Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears. 

And in New Jersey, Democrat Mikie Sherrill convincingly beat Trump-backed Republican Jack Ciattarelli to become the next governor.

‘Last night it was, you know, not expected to be a victory,’ Trump admitted on Wednesday morning. ‘I don’t think it was good for Republicans – I’m not sure it was good for anybody.’

‘But we had an interesting evening and we learned a lot,’ he said.

Donald Trump had been at the base on Wednesday just before the suspicious package was found

Presidents, vice presidents and members of Congress take off from the base when conducting official business. Marine One is seen here with Trump onboard in October 

Last month, a federal office building containing New York City’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement office was evacuated on Thursday

The president later reprimanded his fellow Republicans for not touting his agenda enough during the 2025 campaign season to win more elections on Tuesday night.

And he warned the results could begin a slippery slope of plunging the United States into communist rule if more progressives are voted into office.

‘These people are crazy,’ Trump said during a business forum in Florida on Wednesday. ‘And Mamdani – whatever the hell his name is in New York – he thinks it’s wonderful to have men playing in women’s sports.’

‘Now let’s see how a communist does in New York – we’re going to see how that works out. And we’ll help them… we want New York to be successful. We’ll help them – a little bit, maybe,’ he added before warning that Mamdani will plunge the U.S. into a communist state.

Still, he assured business leaders that ‘as long as I’m in the White House the United States is not going communist in any way shape or form.’

‘We’re going to stop it – stop this nonsense,’ he insisted.

Trump spoke to senators during a breakfast at the White House on Wednesday

US Air Force Thunderbirds are pictured at Joint Base Andrews  

Trump and his administration have tried to portray the United States as strong, renaming the Department of Defense the Department of War and telling generals to ‘prepare for war.’ 

Speaking at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia in September, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said that America’s enemies would ‘FAFO’, which stands for ‘f*** around and find out,’ if they chose to challenge its military might.

‘From this moment forward the only mission of the newly restored Department of War is this: war fighting, preparing for war and preparing to win,’ Hegseth continued, before issuing a series of directives to soldiers.

The Secretary of War said that there would be a male standard of fitness for all troops, stating that he was ‘tired of seeing fat troops.’ Hegseth also said these new rules are ‘not about preventing women from serving’ though he noted that the physical standards needed to be gender neutral.

‘If women can make it, excellent, if they cannot — then so be it … it will also mean that weak men won’t qualify. This is combat.’ 

Hegseth said standard training guidelines will be restored ‘to what it should be — scary, tough disciplined,’ and one where drill sergeants ‘can put their hands on recruits.’ 

‘No more identity months, DEI offices, dudes in dresses, no more climate change worship, no more division, distraction or gender delusion, no more debris. I’ve said before and will say again, we are done with that s***,’ the Secretary of War said. 

Tensions have flared across the nation amid the longest-ever government shutdown

People are pictured taking the streets in New York City last month to protest the Trump administration’s actions

Hegseth continued to lay out other directives. Notably, that each service will require high-level physical requirements, adding a combat arms field test. 

Displaying America’s strength, the US military has repeatedly struck suspected drug vessels in the Caribbean, carrying out another attack as the terrifying incident occurred in Maryland on Thursday.

‘The vessel was targeting narcotics in the Caribbean and was struck in international waters,’ Hegseth shared on social media. ‘No US forces were harmed in the strike and three male narco terrorists – who were aboard the vessel – were killed.

‘To all narco terrorists who threaten our homeland: if you want to stay alive, stop trafficking drugs. If you keep trafficking deadly drugs – we will kill you,’ the Secretary of War warned, despite Colombian President Gustavo Petro apparent threat to Trump.

With a snap of his fingers, Petro demanded that if the world can’t ‘change’ President Trump then the solution is to ‘get rid’ of him.

Yet the president is no stranger to threats.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro (pictured) said the best solution for him would be to ‘get rid’ of President Donald Trump

It comes after the U.S. conducted at least seven strikes in the Caribbean in ramped up counter-narcoterrorism efforts

Over the summer, Nathalie Rose Jones, a 50-year-old woman from Indiana, was arrested in Washington after making unhinged threats and attempts to have Trump removed from office.

‘I am willing to sacrificially kill this POTUS by disemboweling him and cutting out his trachea with Liz Cheney and all The Affirmation present,’ a post from her account read on August 6.

‘Listen up, Donald J. Trump. I’m psychotic,’ she wrote on August 11.

On August 14, she wrote directly to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth pleading with him to ‘arrange the arrest and removal ceremony of POTUS Trump as a terrorist on the American People from 10-2pm at the White House on Saturday, August 16th, 2025.’

Just days ago, an Illinois man was charged with threatening to execute President Trump.

Trent Schneider, 57, was taken into custody at his home on Monday by a local SWAT team, to be handed over to federal authorities.

In an Instagram video seen by Daily Mail, Schneider appears to threaten to execute Trump in a mass shooting event.

‘I’m going to get some guns. I know where I can get a lot of f***ing guns and I am going to take care of business myself,’ he allegedly said. 

‘I’m tired of all you f***ing frauds. People need to f***ing die and people are going to die. F*** all of you, especially you Trump. You should be executed.’ 

Schneider also claimed in the video that Trump was an actor and had several body doubles who often stood in his place at events.

He was arrested without incident on Monday.