US President Donald Trump has suggested that Chicago could be the next city under federal control after he asserted authority over Washington DC’s police earlier this month.
In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump claimed that residents in Chicago were “desperate” for him to step in and curb violence.
“Governor Pritzker had 6 murders in Chicago this weekend. 20 people were shot. But he doesn’t want to ask me for help. Can this be possible? The people are desperate for me to STOP THE CRIME, something the Democrats aren’t capable of doing. STAY TUNED!!! President DJT," Trump wrote.
‘Chicago’s a mess’, Trump says
The president’s remarks follow comments he made last week, where he described Chicago as a “mess” and suggested it would be next on his list after DC.
“Chicago’s a mess. You have an incompetent mayor. Grossly incompetent. And we’ll straighten that one out probably next. That’ll be our next one after this. And it won’t even be tough," he said.
Trump’s threats come after he invoked the Home Rule Act earlier this month to place Washington DC’s police under federal control and deploy the National Guard. Reports also indicate that similar measures are being considered for Los Angeles.
Pushback from Illinois leaders
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has pushed back against the president’s comments, saying Trump lacks the legal authority to deploy federal troops or ICE agents in Chicago. He added that he was preparing a legal strategy with Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson in case federal forces move in.
Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling also stated that his department would not assist in federal enforcement actions, particularly immigration crackdowns.
“We know people are living in fear, and working with ICE, it does nothing to help those relationships and in fact, it hurts. We’re not going to ask for anyone’s immigration status, we don’t care. We’re going to continue to stand up for the people in our city to make sure that they’re safe," Snelling said.
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