Trump calls for jailing Democratic Chicago mayor, Illinois governor amid US showdown on deployment of troops

Donald Trump

President Donald Trump has escalated his feud with Democratic city leaders, lashing out at Chicago’s mayor and Illinois’ governor -- even suggesting they should face arrest. reported CNN. Trump’s clash with Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Gov. JB Pritzker marks a sharp new turn in his standoff with Democratic-run cities as National Guard troops gather near Chicago and legal teams gear up for high-stakes hearings on opposite ends of the country.

The president took to Truth Social to demand punishment for the city’s leadership, writing, “Chicago Mayor should be in jail for failing to protect Ice Officers! Governor Pritzker also!”

According to CNN, both officials fired back within hours. Mayor Johnson responded on X, saying, “This is not the first time Trump has tried to have a Black man unjustly arrested. I’m not going anywhere.” Gov. Pritzker followed up with his own post, accusing Trump of authoritarian behavior. “Trump is now calling for the arrest of elected representatives checking his power. What else is left on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?” he wrote.

The confrontation is unfolding as federal troops mobilize for potential deployments in cities like Chicago, Portland, and Memphis. The Trump administration has tied these actions to violent protests outside Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities and the deadly shooting at an ICE site in Dallas, which left two detainees dead. Trump described the incident as “an attack on law enforcement", the report said.

Tensions have risen further as members of Trump’s administration shuttle between cities preparing for the deployments. FBI Director Kash Patel and Assistant Attorney General Todd Blanche made a quick trip to Chicago on Tuesday, while Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem flew to Portland after visiting Chicago’s ICE facility the week before. Cabinet officials had also gathered recently in Memphis, touting the coming National Guard presence there.

According to the report, if the courts rule against him, Trump has hinted that he could invoke the Insurrection Act -- a rarely used legal mechanism that allows military deployment on U.S. soil -- effectively bypassing judicial or state-level opposition. “If I had to enact it, I’d do that,” he said Monday. “If people were being killed, and courts were holding us up, or governors or mayors were holding us up, sure I do that.”

In Chicago, hundreds of National Guard troops have already begun filling local training centers as District Court Judge April Perry -- appointed by President Biden -- weighs whether to block the deployments. Perry has delayed an immediate ruling, asking for more time to consider the legal complexities. The report said written arguments from both sides are due by the end of Wednesday, with a hearing scheduled for Thursday morning.

Meanwhile, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson accused Trump of undermining cooperation among law enforcement. “The president of the United States of America is literally pitting law enforcement against law enforcement,” Johnson said. “That’s not the way it’s supposed to be.”

As per the report, in Portland, events have unfolded even faster. Judge Karin Immergut, a Trump appointee and former member of the Starr investigation into President Bill Clinton, swiftly halted the president’s activation of the Oregon National Guard on Saturday. When the White House responded by federalizing California Guard units and redirecting them to Oregon, Immergut expanded her injunction to block all National Guard deployments there.

The Justice Department quickly appealed. A three-judge panel -- two Trump appointees and a former Oregon Supreme Court justice appointed by Bill Clinton -- is set to hear arguments Thursday in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the report said.

In Memphis, the situation has been less about legal challenges and more about logistics. Mayor Paul Young said that National Guard arrivals are expected “in the next few days or in the next week or so,” though he noted the details of their mission remain unclear.

According to CNN, federal agents have already made hundreds of arrests through the Memphis Safe Task Force, including suspects tied to homicides and outstanding warrants. While the Democratic mayor has expressed misgivings about the federal intervention, he emphasized his duty to ensure coordination. “It was something that the governor and the president decided, and as mayor of the city, it’s my job to make sure it’s coordinated well within our community,” Young said.