Trump's Chicago takeover threats bring out social media hate and love
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President Trump's threats to bring the National Guard to Chicago are fueling a love/hate battle of our city on social media.
Driving the news: During a Cabinet meeting Tuesday, Trump complained about crime in Chicago, saying he could counter it with military force, as the National Guard has done in Washington, D.C.
- "I just know how to stop crime," Trump said before taking shots at Gov. JB Pritzker. "You would think that Illinois would have such a problem with crime, such a bad governor, he should be calling me and he should be saying, 'Could you send over the troops? Please, it's out of control.'"
- One of Trump's regular barbs at the third-largest U.S. city is calling it a "hell-hole."
Yes, but: That's not how everybody sees Chicago.
- Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson continue to tout that crime is down in Chicago.
- Pritzker posted a video Monday with runners and walkers along glistening Lake Michigan and sunny skies behind a north-facing shot of the skyline, sarcastically remarking, "Doesn't feel like a hellhole. In fact, everybody's having a great time."
The sarcasm was thick on social media that day.
- "Thank god they're sending in the Feds. I just saw a guy drinking on the riverwalk," Pat Whalen tweeted on the same day, featuring a photo of him holding a beer while facing the reflective buildings at Wolf Point.
The other side: Detractors say downtown is not the Chicago they're criticizing. They say neighborhoods on the South and West sides are where Trump's intervention is needed.
- Chicago Contrarian posted a Nest camera video that appears to capture a shooting in Austin on the West Side, where Johnson lives.
Reality check: The majority of crimes are reported in police districts covering neighborhoods on the South and West sides, but these videos miss the larger story of disinvestment that's common in those communities.
- Chicago artist and booster Vic Mensa addressed that by sharing numbers about crime, youth employment, investment in the Black community, and maybe the best ad for Johnson in a while.
- Chicago comedian Joey Villagomez, aka Joey da Clown, swatted back at neighborhood attacks with a video of him driving through the largely Mexican Little Village on a Sunday, showing people just living their lives.
What we're watching: How the barrage of insults and love letters affects tourism. International tourism to the U.S. has been down everywhere this year, but Pritzker announced Tuesday that tourism was up last year compared to 2023.
- The state reported that 113 million domestic and international visitors spent a record $48.5 billion last year.