Trump Renews Call for Chicago Intervention, Escalating Standoff with Illinois Leaders
Trump Renews Call for Chicago Intervention, Escalating Standoff with Illinois Leaders
President Donald Trump on Monday, September 8, reiterated his desire for federal intervention in Chicago, stating, “We’d love to go into Chicago and straighten it out.” These remarks, made at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, further intensified a contentious standoff with Illinois officials following a weekend controversy over a ‘war’ meme.
Trump continued his criticism of Chicago’s crime situation, despite local police data indicating a decrease in murders and shootings this year. Earlier Monday, he urged Illinois residents via social media to “band together and DEMAND PROTECTION,” assuring that only “Criminals will be hurt” by federal action.
The President’s comments followed a weekend of heightened tension sparked by a controversial social media post on Saturday. Trump referenced the newly rebranded Department of War, posting a manipulated image with the caption, “I love the smell of deportations in the morning.” He later downplayed the ‘war’ threat on Sunday, clarifying, “We’re not going to war. We’re going to clean up our cities.”
Illinois Democratic leaders swiftly condemned Trump’s rhetoric, with Governor J.B. Pritzker notably tweeting, “‘I want to help people, not hurt them,’ says the guy who just threatened an American city with the Department of War.” Protests against increased immigration enforcement and the potential deployment of National Guard troops also unfolded in Chicago over the weekend.
While Trump signaled a willingness to assist Chicago, he indicated his administration would await a formal request from state and local officials, a call Pritzker has vehemently stated he will not make. “When did we become a country where it’s okay for the U.S. president to insist on national television that a state should call him to beg for anything, especially something we don’t want?” Pritzker stated last week.
Adding to the federal pressure, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Monday launched “Midway Blitz,” an expanded operation targeting “criminal illegal aliens” in Chicago and Illinois, citing the state’s sanctuary policies.
Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, appeared to temper the President’s more aggressive threats, declining to specify when or if the National Guard would be deployed but noting it’s “always on the table.” Homan added, “We probably won’t give you a heads up if it’s happening… We’re not going to broadcast what we’re doing.”
The President also drew parallels to federal actions in other major cities, touting his administration’s ‘saving’ of Los Angeles through a National Guard deployment in June, which occurred over the objections of Governor Gavin Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass and was recently ruled illegal by a federal judge. New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch also voiced strong opposition on Monday, stating she was “revolted by the idea of the militarization of our streets.”
Disclaimer: This content is aggregated from public sources online. Please verify information independently. If you believe your rights have been infringed, contact us for removal.