Donald Trump has set his sights on Chicago, targeting the Illinois city for federalizing law enforcement.
In an Oval Office press briefing on Friday, Trump said: “We’ll straighten that one out, probably next, that will be our next one after this.
“I think Chicago will be our next, and then we’ll help with New York.”
He added, "African American ladies, beautiful ladies, are saying, 'Please, President Trump, come to Chicago, please.'"
Chicago is home to several of the most radical leftists in the nation, including Jeremiah Wright, Jesse Jackson, and Father Michael Pfleger. The radical priest always makes good copy, and he didn't disappoint when asked about the potential takeover of the Chicago police.
"I think he wants to provoke violence because if he can provoke violence, then it's going to be martial law," the St. Sabina Church's priest said.
"Provoke violence"? In Chicago? That train left the station years ago. Chicago gangs and criminals don't need to be "provoked" to commit violent acts.
Trump's announcement did provoke the city's incompetent boob of a mayor Brandon Johnson into making empty, bombastic threats.
“Unlawfully deploying the National Guard to Chicago has the potential to inflame tensions between residents and law enforcement when we know that trust between police and residents is foundational to building safer communities,” Johnson said. “An unlawful deployment would be unsustainable and would threaten to undermine the historic progress we have.”
"Historic progress"?
"The mayor went on to cite 2025 crime statistics, which show a 30 percent reduction in homicides, a 35 percent reduction in robberies and a nearly 40 percent drop in shootings," reports the Chicago neighborhood news publication, Blockclub of Chicago.
Compared to what? The previous year? These stats are for half a year, and compare to near-record levels of violence in 2024.
What the hell are these people celebrating?
It's called "defining deviancy down," where we become so inured to huge levels of violence that any drop in the statistics is cheered.
The argument is specious. It's a political smokescreen that idiots such as Mayor Johnson and Democrats in Illinois are using to throw sand in the face of residents. We don't need help because, look! There are a few dozen fewer dead bodies in the street. Things couldn't be better!
Trump, with his usual understatement, told the press briefing that people in Chicago are “screaming for us to come.” Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker jumped on that bit of hyperbole.
Things People are Begging for:
— JB Pritzker (@JBPritzker) August 22, 2025
1. Cheaper groceries
2. No Medicaid and SNAP cuts
3. Release of the Epstein Files
Things People are NOT begging for:
1. An authoritarian power grab of major cities https://t.co/uOksaPNYAr
For it to be an "authoritarian power grab," the courts would have to deny that the president has the authority, and then Trump would deploy the guard anyway. Otherwise, it's a political disagreement, nothing more.
It seems likely that the courts will deny Trump has the authority to deploy the guard. Unlike Washington, D.C., which isn't a state, the federal Posse Comitatus Act, which limits the military from engaging in local law enforcement, would come into play.
It's a high bar that the administration would have to surmount.
There’s an ongoing court case challenging the Trump administration’s decision to send thousands of National Guard troops and hundreds of Marines to Los Angeles in June during protests over immigration raids.
That deployment was initially ruled illegal, but it was later allowed to continue by an appeals court. Most troops have since left the city, according to The New York Times.
Johnson went on to say the focus should be on investing in crime reduction strategies that are proven to work — not adding military to cities.
“We know that our communities are safest when we fully invest in housing, community safety, and education,” he said. “The National Guard will not alleviate the housing crisis. It will not put food in the stomachs of the 1 in 4 children that go to bed hungry every night in Chicago. … There are many things the federal government could do to help us reduce crime and violence in Chicago, but sending in the military is not one of them.”
This is one of those instances where Trump is going for a flashy headline while trolling the left at the same time. If he deploys the guard and other federal law enforcement assets to Chicago, there is likely to be a standoff that neither side wants. Trump will have made his point, and put local politicians' feet to the fire.
