"We're going in": Trump amps up calls to deploy National Guard to Chicago
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
President Trump speaks during an announcement in the Oval Office on Sept. 2. Photo: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images
President Trump says the National Guard deployment to Chicago is a question of when, not if.
Why it matters: After sending the National Guard to Washington, D.C., last month, Trump has continued to say he will deploy guards to Chicago to help with what he has called out-of-control violent crime.
Driving the news: A reporter asked the president Tuesday if he is for sure planning to send guards to Illinois. Trump responded: "Well, we're going in, I didn't say when we're going in."
Reality check: The president has the authority to send troops to D.C., which is under home rule, but the same is not true for Illinois.
- A federal judge ruled Tuesday that Trump's use of troops in Los Angeles for law enforcement violated the Posse Comitatus Act.
What they're saying: Trump compared Chicago to Afghanistan, something he's done in the past. "There's no place in the world, including you can go to Afghanistan. ... They don't even come close to this. Chicago is a hellhole right now."
The other side: "There is no emergency that warrants deployment of troops," Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said Tuesday in response to Trump's comments.
- "He is insulting the people of Chicago by calling our home a hell hole, and anyone who takes his word at face value is insulting Chicagoans too."
Reality check: Chicago has seen a nearly 30% reduction in homicides and a 38% reduction in shootings since last year, according to Chicago police data.
- However, at least nine people were killed and more than 50 wounded in shootings in Chicago from Friday to early Tuesday, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
Context: Trump continues to try to goad Pritzker into calling him for help.
- "If the governor of Illinois would call up, call me up. I would love to do it now. We're going to do it anyway," Trump said.
- Pritzker said in response: "I'm aware that the President of the United States likes to go on television and beg me to call and ask him for troops. I find this extraordinarily strange, as Chicago does not want troops on our streets."
- He added, "I refuse to play a reality game show with Donald Trump again."
- The Illinois Democrat and Trump often spar in the media, and Pritzker is seen as a likely presidential candidate.
Editor's note: This article has been updated with comment from Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker.
