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By Martha McHardy
US News Reporter
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Chicago officials are pushing back against President Donald Trump's threat to deploy the National Guard to the city, dismissing the move as a political ploy.
Trump said on Friday that Chicago will "probably" be the next city to which the administration will deploy federal troops, officers and agents.
"Chicago's a mess, you have an incompetent mayor, grossly incompetent," Trump said from the Oval Office.
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"We'll straighten that one out, probably next, that will be our next one after this. I think Chicago will be our next and then we'll help with New York."
It comes after Trump said he would do the same in Washington, D.C. Trump has repeatedly described some of the nation's largest cities, run by Democrats, with Black mayors and majority-minority populations, as dangerous and filthy.
Why It Matters
Trump announced earlier this month that he was sending federal troops to Washington, D.C, after alleging that the nation's capital was "overtaken by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals, roving mobs of wild youth, drugged-out maniacs and homeless people."
Trump's intervention marked an unprecedented federal crackdown in the local governance of the District of Columbia. The deployment of federal troops sparked widespread backlash over constitutional limits and home rule rights. Critics argue that it breaches democratic principles and could set a dangerous precedent, while supporters frame it as a necessary measure for public order.
What To Know
Following Trump's remarks, Chicago officials strongly condemned Trump's threat to send the National Guard to the city.
In a statement on X, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said Trump is "attempting to create chaos that distracts from his problems," accusing him of trying to "incite fear in our communities and destabilize existing public safety efforts."
Pritzker argued that "Trump and Republicans are trying to distract from the pain they're causing—from tariffs raising the prices of goods to stripping away health care and food from millions." He added that "crime rates are improving. Homicides are down by more than 30 percent in Chicago in the last year alone," crediting local partnerships and community programs that "they're defunding."
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said the city has "not received any formal communication from the Trump administration regarding additional federal law enforcement or military deployments," but warned that "unlawfully deploying the National Guard to Chicago has the potential to inflame tensions between residents and law enforcement."
Johnson argued that "the problem with the President's approach is that it is uncoordinated, uncalled-for, and unsound," noting Chicago has already "reduced homicides by more than 30 percent, robberies by 35 percent, and shootings by almost 40 percent." He added: "The National Guard will not alleviate the housing crisis … will not put food in the stomachs of the 1 in 4 children that go to bed hungry … [and] is no substitute for dedicated local law enforcement and community violence interrupters."
It comes after Trump declared a "crime emergency" in Washington, D.C. in early August, and invoked Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act to seize control of the city's police force, placing the Police Department under federal authority for the first time in history.
Alongside that move, Trump ordered the deployment of roughly 800 D.C. National Guard troops, bolstered by reinforcements from six Republican-led states and hundreds of federal agents from the FBI, Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). In total, more than 2,000 federal and state forces are now on the ground in the nation's capital.
Trump justified the takeover by citing rampant crime in the city, but official data contradicts the claim. Washington, D.C. has recorded a 26 percent drop in violent crime compared to last year, reaching a 30-year low. That has fueled criticism that the move was less about public safety and more about political power.
In Chicago, figures in the Chicago Police Department's July 2025 report quoted by Johnson above, shows homicides reached the lowest level since 2014, with 44 reported murders last month.
Overall, Part I crimes—including violent and property offenses—dropped 14 percent year-to-date and 18 percent month-to-month. Robberies fell 36 percent in July and 34 percent year-to-date, with firearm-related robberies down 46 percent compared to July 2024. Motor vehicle thefts declined 21 percent this month and 27 percent year-to-date, while burglaries decreased 28 percent from July 2024. Vehicular hijackings dropped 49 percent year-to-date, with 293 incidents reported. Additionally, officers recovered 1,190 firearms in July, averaging 38 per day, bringing the year-to-date total to 6,704 firearms recovered.
Mayor Johnson attributes these positive trends to comprehensive community investment strategies, including youth employment programs, expanded access to mental health care, and housing initiatives.
Trump has taken aim at Chicago for over a decade, including on the 2024 and 2016 presidential campaign trails. He has repeatedly compared the city to Afghanistan and, in 2017, threatened to send in federal officers due to gun violence in the city, despite historic declines in violent crime in recent years.
In July, the Trump administration cut more than half federal funding for gun violence prevention programs, totaling $158 million in grants, which affected cities like Chicago. The Justice Department also terminated 69 community violence intervention grants in April, part of a broader halt of 365 grants worth $811 million.
The Department of Justice official told Reuters that the agency canceled the grants because they "no longer effectuate the program's goals or agency's priorities."
Mayor Johnson said that if Trump wants to make Chicago safer, he should restore $158 million he cut in violence-prevention programs for cities such as Chicago.
"There are many things the federal government could do to help us reduce crime and violence in Chicago, but sending in the military is not one of them," he said.
What People Are Saying
Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr, said in a Newsmax interview: "Maybe we should roll out the tour to Portland, Seattle, the other craphole cities of the country."
U.S. Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois, said in part: Chicago is "a beautiful, vibrant city with people from all walks of life … These unprecedented threats from President Trump are nothing more than a power grab to distract from his disastrous policies."
What Happens Next
Trump has not indicated for certain if or when he will send federal troops into other cities.
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