President Trump Monday threatened to order Nationwide Guard troops to Chicago in a widening crackdown on massive cities that began with Washington, D.C. — and Democratic leaders pushed again.
Trump sang the praises of surging navy troops into the streets of the nation’s capital and threatened to broaden the operation to Chicago and past throughout a White Home ceremony the place he signed a number of govt orders aimed toward battling crime.
“We can go anywhere on 24 hours notice,” Trump stated.
“We want to go on to other places,” Trump added. “Chicago, Illinois, is a disaster….Chicago is a killing field.”
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker countered that there is no such thing as a urgent want for troops or different federal legislation enforcement, particularly with crime down sharply in Chicago and different cities nationwide.
Pritzker was anticipated to carry a press convention together with the state’s lawyer basic to push again in opposition to Trump’s attainable plan to declare some form of emergency and ship troops into the streets of the nation’s third largest metropolis.
“Donald Trump is attempting to manufacture a crisis, politicize Americans who serve in uniform, and continue abusing his power to distract from the pain he’s causing families,” Pritzker tweeted over the weekend. “We’ll continue to follow the law, stand up for the sovereignty of our state, and protect Illinoisans.”
Nationwide Guard troopers patrol the the 14th road leisure and restaurant space on August 23, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Andrew Leyden/Getty Photos)
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson stated the town doesn’t want “a military occupation” and would sue to dam one. He stated there was no communication from the White Home a few attainable navy deployment.
Trump has steered for a number of days that Chicago will probably be the following goal of his efforts to crack down on crime, homelessness and unlawful immigration, though he has additionally hinted at federal motion in opposition to Baltimore and New York.
“I think Chicago will be our next,” Trump instructed reporters on the White Home, later including, “And then we’ll help with New York.”
The feedback got here because the Pentagon started ordering troops in Washington to hold firearms, although there have been no overt indications they’ve confronted threats that will require them to hold weapons.
Trump has repeatedly derided a few of the nation’s largest cities, that are run by Democrats, largely with Black mayors and majority-minority populations.
He singled out Chicago on Friday, calling it a “mess” and saying residents there are “screaming for us to come” regardless of sharply declining crime charges.
Trump has additionally unleashed a disagreement with Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, who taunted Trump with an invite to hitch him on an inspection of native and state legislation enforcement in Baltimore.
“He’s doing a bad job,” Trump stated.
The White Home already clashed with state and native officers in California when he ordered the Nationwide Guard to patrol Los Angeles throughout protests in opposition to his immigration crackdown.
Initially Printed: August 25, 2025 at 10:38 AM EDT
