Gov. JB Pritzker speaks at a news conference Monday in Chicago about President Donald Trump potentially sending National Guard troops to the city.
AP
Flanked by dozens of Chicago and suburban leaders, Gov. JB Pritzker rebuked President Donald Trump’s threat of deploying National Guard troops to the city, calling it “un-American.”
“It’s exactly the type of overreach that our country’s founders warned against,” Pritzker said Monday, adding that crime has decreased significantly in the city.
“It’s unprecedented and unwarranted. It is illegal. It is unconstitutional. No one from the White House … has reached out to me or to the mayor. No effort has been made to coordinate or to ask for our assistance in identifying any actions that might be helpful.”
“This is not about fighting crime,” added Pritzker, a potential presidential candidate in 2028. “This is about Donald Trump searching for any justification to deploy the military in a blue city and a blue state to try and intimidate his political rivals.”
Gov. JB Pritzker called President Donald Trump’s threat to send National Guard troops to Chicago “un-American” during a news conference downtown Monday. Behind him is Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson.
AP
Trump ordered National Guard soldiers to Los Angeles in June and Washington, D.C. on Aug. 11, and has warned for days Chicago could be next.
But at in the Oval Office Monday, the president was more ambiguous.
“As you all know Chicago is a killing field right now and they don’t acknowledge it,” Trump said.
“But In a certain way, you really want to be asked to go. I really hate to barge into a city and then be treated horribly by corrupt politicians,” he added. “We may or may not (go). We may just go in and do it, which is probably what we should do.”
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson countered that “in the last year alone, we have seen more than a 30% decline in homicides. We introduced a robberies task force, effectively reducing robberies by almost 35%.”
“We believe you don’t solve crime by sending in the military. You work every day toward constitutional policing and rebuilding trust between law enforcement and residents.”
Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Hoffman Estates, who served in the Illinois National Guard, accused Trump of using the armed forces as political pawns.
“He has a long pattern of politicizing and misusing our nation’s military for his own partisan gain and that is outrageous,” said Duckworth, who lost both legs when her Blackhawk helicopter was hit during the Iraq War.
“We know Trump’s actions are not about law and order. Give me a break,” Duckworth said, calling the controversy a distraction from inflation, the war in Ukraine and the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.
“Just this morning I was in touch with National Guard officials and they confirmed he has not reached out to them.”
Trump suggested Pritzker might call him and say, “’Mr. President, can you give us the honor of cleaning up our city?’”
Pritzker countered, “I say: ‘Mr. President, do not come to Chicago. You’re neither wanted here nor needed here. Your remarks about this effort over the last several weeks have betrayed a continuing slip in your mental faculties.’”
The deployment of National Guard troops has sparked protests in Washington and California.
“I don’t like going to a city and being criticized by some governor where crime is rampant,” Trump noted.
“And they say, ‘We don’t need him, freedom, freedom. He’s a dictator.’
“A lot of people are saying, ‘We’d like a dictator.’ I don’t like a dictator. I’m not a dictator.”
Multiple officials acknowledged crime in Chicago is an ongoing issue that requires continued work and a collaborative approach.
“If the Trump administration wants to help … it could work with our law enforcement professionals to stop the flow of guns across state lines into Chicago,” said Derek Douglas, president of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
“What we need is aligned action. What we don’t need are disruptions to our economy and our businesses. Active duty military patrolling the streets of our city sends the wrong message and risks slowing our economy. It will impact businesses’ bottoms lines and the ability to operate efficiently. It will impact tourism and employees getting to their jobs.”
Gov. JB Pritzker speaks at a news conference Monday in Chicago about President Donald Trump possibly sending National Guard troops to the city.
AP
Members of the South Carolina National Guard patrol the Amtrak area of Union Station in Washington, D.C. on Sunday.
AP
Members of the South Carolina National Guard patrol the platform of the Washington Metro Gallery Place station in Washington, D.C. on Sunday.
AP
People protest against President Donald Trump’s use of federal law enforcement and National Guard troops during a rally along the U street corridor in northwest Washington, D.C. on Saturday.
AP
Gerald Steele is the founder of Stonegate Health Rehab. He shares expert insights, recovery tips, and rehab resources to support individuals on their journey to wellness.