Trump threatens Chicago with "Department of WAR" ahead of planned crackdown
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Protesters hold signs as they march during a "Workers over billionaires" rally on Labor Day in Chicago on Sept. 1, 2025. Photo: Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images
President Trump on Saturday threatened to unleash "the Department of WAR" on Chicago in a Truth Social image evoking the film "Apocalypse Now."
Why it matters: Language that seemingly threatens to wage war on an American city is a significant escalation from Trump who has already deployed the National Guard to support his immigration crackdowns in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.
What they're saying: "I love the smell of deportations in the morning," the president wrote on his Truth Social account, accompanied by an seemingly AI-generated photo of him dressed as Robert Duvall's character in the movie.
- The text on the image says "Chipocalypse Now."
- "Chicago about to find out why it's called the Department of WAR," Trump added.
The latest: The post comes as immigration enforcement operations are set to ramp up in Chicago today. 300 federal agents are using the nearby Great Lakes Naval Station as the logistical hub for the expanded operations.
The other side: About 200 protesters blocked an Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing center on Friday.
Yes, but: Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson are urging demonstrators to avoid violent confrontations that could give the president a reason to bring in the National Guard, which Trump has threatened to do.
- Pritzker has warned the Trump administration that if federal law enforcement does anything illegal during immigration raids, he will take it up with the courts.
- "The President of the United States is threatening to go to war with an American city. This is not a joke. This is not normal," Pritzker posted on X in response. "Donald Trump isn't a strongman, he's a scared man. Illinois won't be intimidated by a wannabe dictator."
- Johnson's office didn't immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.
- In a Saturday X post, Johnson wrote that Trump's "threats are beneath the honor of our nation, but the reality is that he wants to occupy our city and break our Constitution."
Zoom out: The immigration enforcement coincides with annual Mexican independence celebrations and parades, which have either been scaled back or canceled this weekend and next.
Vice President JD Vance in his own post on X praised the military for sinking a boat from Venezuela the administration has alleged was carrying drugs into the U.S.
- "Killing cartel members who poison our fellow citizens is the highest and best use of our military," Vance wrote.
- The attack has prompted scrutiny because top congressional Democrats were not briefed on the strike, which the administration has suggested is the start of a larger military campaign.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with comments from Pritzker and Johnson.
