Illinois Governor JB Pritzker sharply rebuked President Donald Trump’s statements on Friday after the president suggested that Chicago would be the next U.S. city to face a federal National Guard deployment due to crime and public safety concerns.
Speaking from the White House, President Trump alleged that Chicago was a “mess,” asserting city residents were “desperate for our assistance” and signaling his intent to “address that next” following ongoing deployments in cities such as Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles. Trump characterized the city government as “incompetent” and claimed that people in Chicago, particularly African American women, were appealing directly to him for intervention.
Responding later in the day, Governor Pritzker issued a statement denouncing the president’s remarks as a political maneuver intended to distract from what he called damaging Republican policies.
“As Donald Trump attempts to create chaos that distracts from his problems, we will call it out for what it is. Trump and Republicans are trying to distract from the pain they are causing working families–from tariffs raising the prices of everyday goods to stripping away healthcare and food from millions of Americans.
“After using Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. as his testing ground for authoritarian overreach, Trump is now openly flirting with the idea of taking over other states and cities. Trump’s goal is to incite fear in our communities and destabilize existing public safety efforts — all to create a justification to further abuse his power. He is playing a game and creating a spectacle for the press to play along with.
“We don’t play those games in Illinois. Our commitment to law and order is delivering real results. Crime rates are improving. Homicides are down by more than 30% in Chicago in the last year alone. Our progress in lowering crime has been made possible with community violence intervention programs that the Trump Administration is defunding.
“Our state and local law enforcement partners know our neighborhoods and our streets because they live here too. They are not asking for this and we will continue to listen and coordinate with them, as we always do. The safety of the people of Illinois is my highest priority, so we will follow the law and stand up for the sovereignty of our state.”
Chicago city officials and local law enforcement leaders have not formally requested federal intervention and have previously expressed wariness about large-scale military deployments on city streets.
A federal deployment of the National Guard to Chicago could potentially conflict with Illinois law and established legal norms in several ways.
Under the Military Code of Illinois, the Illinois National Guard is to be organized, equipped, and governed in conformity with both Illinois and U.S. law, but local authority and the governor’s consent are typically essential for domestic deployments within state borders.
Illinois officials, including the attorney general, have argued that the president’s ability to federalize a state’s National Guard is only authorized in cases of rebellion, foreign invasion, or if regular forces are insufficient to address a crisis.
