President Donald Trump said in the Oval Office on Friday that Chicago is next on his list of places where he wants to use his power to root out violent crime.
Speaking to reporters and praising federal agents for the violent crime crackdown in Washington, D.C., Trump set his sights on Chicago, where gang violence and shootings have become the norm under Democratic leadership.
“Chicago is a mess, you have an incompetent mayor, grossly incompetent, and we will straighten that one out next. That will be our next one after this, and it won’t even be tough,” Trump said.
Trump also hinted at moving federal resources to New York City after taking care of Chicago.
“And the people in Chicago … are screaming for us to come. They are wearing red hats, just like this one,” Trump said, referring to his “Trump Was Right About Everything” hat. “African American ladies, beautiful ladies, are saying, ‘Please, Mr. Trump, come to Chicago, please.’ I did great with the black vote, as you know, and they want something to happen. So, I think Chicago will be next and then we’ll help with New York.”
While Chicago has reported a decrease in homicides and other violent crimes in recent years, the Windy City is still lagging behind some other major cities in tackling its murder problem. In 2023, Chicago reported 617 homicides, which was a decrease from the 715 murders in 2022, but still higher than America’s two largest cities, New York City and Los Angeles.
Earlier this month, 34 people were shot, five of whom were killed, in shootings across Chicago during one weekend, ABC 7 Chicago reported. The violence has continued this week, with three people killed and another person wounded in multiple shootings in the city on Thursday, according to Fox 32.
Chicago’s elected Democratic politicians criticized Trump over his comments on sending troops to the city, with Mayor Brandon Johnson calling Trump’s approach “uncoordinated, uncalled for, and unsound,” according to WGN 9.
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“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 added. “An unlawful deployment would be unsustainable and would threaten to undermine the historic progress we have. In the past year alone, we have reduced homicides by more than 30%, robberies by 35%, and shootings by almost 40%. We need to continue to invest in what is working.”
Federal and local law enforcement have arrested over 700 suspected criminals on the capital’s streets since Trump sent in federal agents and the National Guard, with most of the arrests taking place in D.C.’s highest crime areas, according to the White House. D.C. police also reported a murder-free eight days stretching back to last Thursday, according to Fox News.
In Washington, D.C., Trump has the authority to deploy National Guard troops and federal law enforcement officers through the “Home Rule Act.” Deploying the National Guard to another American city wouldn’t be as simple and would likely require Trump to sidestep Democratic Governor JB Pritzker, similar to what the president did when he sent troops to Los Angeles earlier this summer. That move was challenged in court and is currently before a federal judge.
