Trump’s war rhetoric escalates: Chicago on edge after explosive post

On September 2, President Trump announced that he would be sending in troops to Chicago to calm the city after violence erupted over the Labor Day weekend. “We’re going in,” Trump told reporters during his briefing at the Oval Office. “I didn’t say when. Look, Chicago’s very interesting because I watched Pritzker get up and say about, ‘We don’t need help, we’re safe’ but two weeks ago they had six people murdered, and they had 24 people hit by bullets. Last week, as you know, 24 people hit and seven died. And then, over the last two days, that was the crown jewel - they had nine or 10 killed and 50 hit with bullets. Chicago is a hell hole right now, Baltimore is a hell hole right now”.

The president followed up his comments about the spate of shootings in Chicago’s with a post: “CHICAGO IS THE MURDER CAPITAL OF THE WORLD!”

When could he send in the National Guard to Chicago?

When asked whether he would deploy the National Guard to Chicago against the wishes of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, he confirmed that he would. However, no timeline was provided for the deployment. Legal challenges remain, as governors typically control their state’s National Guard units, and federalization is only permitted under specific emergency conditions.

Trump administration faces legal hurdles... will it matter?

This move comes amid legal scrutiny of Trump’s earlier deployment of National Guard troops to Los Angeles. A federal judge recently ruled that the deployment—made without California Governor Gavin Newsom’s consent—violated the Posse Comitatus Act, which limits the use of military forces in domestic law enforcement. The court deemed the action illegal and issued an injunction blocking further unauthorized use of troops in the state.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson warned Trump against sending in National Guard troops, telling reporters in a press conference: “We do not want or need military occupation in our city. We do not want or need militarized immigration enforcement in our city. We have been clear on that. And we will continue to take every single measure that we can to protect our people from these threats“.

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