Trump Threatens To Send National Guard To Chicago With Or Without Local Support
First it was Los Angeles, then Washington, D.C. Now, President Trump says he wants to send the National Guard into Chicago — with or without the state’s approval.
In remarks Monday morning from the White House, Trump called Chicago a “disaster,” saying the governor of Illinois should be asking him to “clean up” the city. He warned that if local leaders don’t request help, “we may just go in and do it,” citing crime in the city, but still hedged on a final decision.
On Monday afternoon, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker replied, “Mr. President, do not come to Chicago. You are neither wanted here nor needed here.”
It comes as Trump is citing a drop in crime in DC after a federal takeover of law enforcement there. In the last 30 days, carjackings are down about 75% and there have been no reported murders in the city since Aug. 13 – two days after Trump announced he was taking over the D.C. police department and sending in National Guard troops. Notably, there was also a 16-day period earlier this year that also saw no murders, though the city averages one homicide every 36 hours in recent years.
HOW WE GOT HERE
Trump’s comments escalate his ongoing focus on crime in Democratic-run cities and states. According to the Washington Post, the Pentagon has been drafting plans for military deployment in Chicago for weeks, with thousands of Guard troops possibly mobilized as soon as September. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker accused Trump of trying "to create chaos that distracts from his problems.”
A Chicago deployment could follow similar action Trump took in Los Angeles in June, when he sent nearly 5,000 federal troops to Southern California over the objections of Gov. Gavin Newsom, amid protests against the administration’s mass deportation efforts. A case on the legality of that move is still playing out in court.
Local leaders in Chicago are pushing back and noting that crime is down in 2025 from previous years — similar to arguments made by D.C. leadership.
Is this legal? A state's governor, under the law, controls the state’s National Guard. The president can federalize and deploy troops over a governor’s objections if there is a threatened rebellion or invasion.
Gov. Pritzker has said there is no such emergency in Illinois.
Trump dismissed accusations that his use of the military domestically is authoritarian, saying Monday: “A lot of people are saying maybe we like a dictator. I don’t like a dictator. I’m not a dictator. I’m a man with great common sense.”
Up next: Trump has suggested sending additional troops to cities like San Francisco, California, and Baltimore, Maryland.
Meanwhile, eight of the top 10 cities with the highest murder rates are in red states. Trump has not yet targeted those.
CHICAGO BY THE NUMBERS
Chicago has long struggled with violent crime. The city of nearly 3 million people has recorded the highest total number of homicides in the country for 13 straight years — nearly 600 in 2024. However, murder rates (homicides per capita) are higher in cities like Jackson, Mississippi; Birmingham, Alabama; St. Louis, Missouri; and Memphis, Tennessee.
This year, homicides in Chicago have dropped 31% compared to this time last year — mirroring drops in other cities.
Stats vs. experience: Numbers often don’t tell the whole story. Over on the Mo News Premium Instagram we got a flood of comments, as dozens of locals (a number you didn’t vote for Trump) told us they feel unsafe in their daily lives — regardless of the stats. Other Chicagoans said they feel safe in the city and think Trump’s move will only make things worse.
