Trump calls out Pritzker, puts Chicago on notice for possible federal crime intervention
'Absolutely no right': Pritzker fires back after Trump threatens to send troops into Chicago
President Donald Trump put Chicago on notice Monday as he declared a federal takeover of Washington's police force to crack down on crime. Gov. JB Pritzker, however, wasn't having it.
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump put Chicago and New York City on notice Monday as he declared a federal takeover of Washington's police force to crack down on crime.
Trump and several of his top cabinet officials lamented the state of the nation's capital, with "young punks" committing violent crimes and homelessness visible on nearly every street. He then called out Chicago and New York City, saying he may intervene there as well if they don't address their own crime and homelessness issues.
"I'm going to look at New York in a little while. Let's do this. Let's do this together. Let's see. It's going to go pretty quickly," Trump said.
"And if we need to, we're going to do the same thing in Chicago, which is a disaster. We have a mayor there who is totally incompetent. He's an incompetent man. And we have an incompetent governor there. [J.B.] Pritzker's an incompetent. His family threw him out of the business, and he ran for governor. And now I understand he wants to be president, but I noticed he lost a little weight. So maybe he has a chance. You know, you never know what happens," he continued.
President Trump threatens to deploy the National Guard in Chicago
Chicago may be next on the list for a National Guard deployment, according to President Donald Trump.
Pritzker replied to Trump on X, bringing up the Epstein files:
"Donald, thanks for the compliment! Let’s not lie to the public, you and I both know you have no authority to take over Chicago. By the way, where are the Epstein files?"
Trump calls out Pritzker, puts Chicago on notice for possible federal crime intervention
President Donald Trump put Chicago and New York City on notice Monday as he declared a federal takeover of Washington's police force to crack down on crime.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson also issued a statement on Trump's threat, shared below:
"From my first day in office, public safety has been my top priority. In just two years, we have made historic progress, driving down homicides by more than 30% and reducing shootings by almost 40% in the last year alone. Last week, we learned that President Trump cut another $158 million in funding for violence prevention programs in cities like Chicago. These cuts are on top of the Trump administration dismantling the Office of Gun Violence Prevention and terminating more than $800 million in grants for anti-violence programs across the country.
"If President Trump wants to help make Chicago safer, he can start by releasing the funds for anti-violence programs that have been critical to our work to drive down crime and violence. Sending in the National Guard would only serve to destabilize our city and undermine our public safety efforts," Johnson said.
Trump's threat comes as New York City mayoral hopeful Zohran Mamdani has centered his campaign around opposition to Trump.