President Donald Trump on Monday hinted at the possibility of deploying National Guard troops to Chicago to address rising crime rates, following a weekend of mixed messaging that required a clarification of his intentions.
Over the weekend, Trump used evocative language and drawn parallels to the film “Apocalypse Now” while discussing the rebranding of the Department of War, suggesting a military intervention in the Democrat-led city.
On Sunday, he sought to clarify that his comments were focused on a desire to ‘clean up’ Chicago, but by Monday, he reiterated his willingness to send federal agents to assist, inciting further opposition from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker.
During a speech at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C., Trump questioned why Chicago leaders have not reached out for help amidst a surge of violent crime, alluding to a grim statistic of over 50 murders reported in a short time span.
“When you have over just a short period of time, 50 murders and hundreds of people shot, and then you have a governor that stands up and says how crime is just fine, it’s really really crazy,” Trump stated. “We’re bringing back law and order to our country.”
Just hours prior, Trump took to social media to communicate his intentions further, emphasizing a desire to assist the residents of Chicago rather than causing harm.
In response, Pritzker criticized Trump’s remarks as insincere, pointing out his previous threats to the city and emphasizing that the situation is not about combatting crime as Trump claims.
“Once again, this isn’t about fighting crime. That requires support and coordination — yet we’ve experienced nothing like that over the past several weeks,” Pritzker expressed in a post on X.
Rather than extending a cooperative hand, Pritzker argued that the Trump administration has chosen a path of intimidation, alarming residents instead of facilitating legitimate public safety measures.
The White House remained silent on whether Trump would order the National Guard into Chicago absent a formal request from the governor. Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security announced the initiation of an immigration enforcement operation aimed at apprehending serious criminal illegal aliens in the city.
For several weeks, President Trump has discussed potential military deployments to Chicago and several other Democrat-led cities, and has faced staunch objections from state governors.
Moreover, public opinion appears to reflect skepticism around the proposal, as recent polling indicates a majority of Americans do not support the idea. However, within his Republican base, many view Trump’s military stance as a necessary measure for reducing crime.
Should Trump proceed with such deployments, they would echo previous actions in cities like Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles. A federal judge recently ruled against this type of action, declaring it illegal and tantamount to establishing a national police force under presidential authority, a characterization Trump continues to contest, declaring those actions as victories.
In Monday’s remarks, Trump took credit for a supposed drop in crime rates in Los Angeles and referred to similar improvements in Washington due to his military actions there, while minimizing the significance of domestic violence incidents as indicators of overall crime.
“Things that take place in the home, they call crime,” he lamented. “They’ll do anything they can to find something.”
Trump expressed confidence that similar strategies could alleviate crime in other cities, like Chicago and New York.
“We are waiting for a call from Chicago. We’ll fix Chicago,” he asserted.
As of Monday afternoon, Governor Pritzker’s office had yet to receive any direct communication regarding the potential for troop deployment, according to his spokesperson Matt Hill.
“Like the public and press, we are learning of their operations through social media as they attempt to produce a reality television show,” Hill indicated in an email.
He further remarked that if Trump were genuinely interested in delivering real solutions, communication would have been initiated.
In a recent statement, Pritzker condemned the Trump administration’s approach, arguing it undermines citizens’ constitutional rights under the pretext of crime fighting.
“Once Donald Trump gets the citizens of this nation comfortable with the current atrocities committed under the color of law — what comes next?” he questioned.
image source from：latimes
