President Donald Trump has intensified rhetoric against Chicago, posting a social media image depicting himself as a military commander while threatening to unleash the newly rebranded “Department of War” on the American city as federal immigration operations are set to begin.
Trump shared an AI-generated image on his Truth Social platform showing himself dressed in military fatigues against a backdrop of Chicago’s burning skyline with helicopters overhead. The image, labeled “Chipocalypse Now” — a reference to the 1979 Vietnam War film “Apocalypse Now” — included Trump’s quote: “I love the smell of deportations in the morning…”
This phrase directly parodies the film’s iconic line delivered by Lieutenant Colonel Kilgore (Robert Duvall): “I love the smell of napalm in the morning.” The original quote, spoken while surveying a devastated Vietnamese village, symbolized the absurdity and destructiveness of war. Trump’s adaptation applies this imagery to his immigration enforcement operations.
The post concluded with the threatening message: “Chicago about to find out why it’s called the Department of WAR”, referencing Trump’s recent executive order to rebrand the Department of Defense.
Trump’s social media threats coincide with the largest immigration enforcement operation in Chicago’s recent history. Approximately 300 federal agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection are using Naval Station Great Lakes as their operational hub.
The Pentagon approved the naval base’s use for the month-long operation, which began September 5 and is scheduled to continue through October 5. Federal agents requested office space and parking at the base, though the Navy will not provide housing or allow lethal munitions on the premises.
The timing appears deliberately coordinated with Mexican Independence Day celebrations. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker warned: “We have reason to believe that Stephen Miller chose the month of September to come to Chicago because of celebrations around Mexican Independence Day that happen here every year.
“It breaks my heart to report that we have been told ICE will try and disrupt community picnics and peaceful parades. Let’s be clear: the terror and cruelty is the point, not the safety of anyone living here.”
This led to the cancellation of El Grito Chicago, the city’s Mexican Independence Day festival originally scheduled for September 13-14.
Despite Trump’s characterization of Chicago as a “killing field” and “murder capital of the world,” recent crime data tells a different story. Chicago Police Department statistics show violent crime has declined 23% in 2025 compared to 2024, while homicides have dropped 33%.
Additional crime reductions include:
Chicago reported 123 homicides during summer 2025 — the fewest for June, July, and August since 1965. The city’s violent crime rate of approximately 540 incidents per 100,000 residents ranks 29th out of 37 major U.S. cities.
Governor Pritzker called the president a “wannabe dictator” and warned: “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.”
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson condemned Trump’s posts as “beneath the honor of our nation,” stating: “He wants to occupy our city and break our Constitution”.
Pritzker has indicated the state will challenge any National Guard deployment in federal court. A recent California ruling that found Trump’s military deployment in Los Angeles violated the Posse Comitatus Act. U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer ruled that federal troops conducting domestic law enforcement operations are unconstitutional.
