President Trump said Tuesday it was a matter of when, not if, he would send the National Guard into Chicago, citing the city’s issues with gun violence.
“Well, we’re going in. I didn’t say when. We’re going in,” Trump said when asked if he had made up his mind about sending National Guard troops to Chicago. “Look, I have an obligation. This isn’t a political thing. I have an obligation.”
Trump has for weeks telegraphed the possibility that he would follow his federal crackdown in Washington, D.C., by deploying troops to Chicago, despite pushback from Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) and other state and city officials.
The president had in recent days suggested he would rather have Pritzker and other officials ask for federal assistance, but Trump earlier Tuesday indicated he was preparing to act.
“At least 54 people were shot in Chicago over the weekend, 8 people were killed. The last two weekends were similar,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “Chicago is the worst and most dangerous city in the World, by far. Pritzker needs help badly, he just doesn’t know it yet. I will solve the crime problem fast, just like I did in DC. Chicago will be safe again, and soon.”
The president on Tuesday afternoon derided Chicago and Baltimore as a “hell hole,” indicating the Maryland city could also be a target for federal intervention down the road.
A federal judge ruled earlier Tuesday that the Trump administration’s deployment of the National Guard in Los Angeles earlier this year in response to immigration protests violated an 1878 law that generally bars federal troops from participating in civilian law enforcement.
Pritzker, who is considered a potential Democratic presidential candidate in 2028, has repeatedly warned Trump against deploying the National Guard in Chicago.
The White House has touted the success of its surge in the District of Columbia in bringing down crime in the city. Trump seized control of the Metropolitan Police Department and deployed the National Guard in mid-August.
Trump officials have also highlighted comments from Mayor Muriel Bowser (D), who has acknowledged the federal intervention has played a role in reducing crime.
“The Mayor’s fellow Democrats should take note, working with President Trump means safer communities and less crime – no one in their right mind could seriously oppose that,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.
Updated: 3:30 p.m.
