The US president pledged to quickly address the crime situation in Chicago, hinting at the possibility of deploying the National Guard to the city.
“Chicago will be safe again soon. I will quickly eliminate the crime problem, just like I did in the capital,” US President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social on September 2, referring to the decision to deploy National Guard troops and federal law enforcement in Washington last month.
He called Chicago, the largest city in the state of Illinois, “the worst and most dangerous place in the world,” citing figures showing that 54 people were shot in Chicago over the weekend and similar figures in the two weeks before.
The US president also said that Democratic Governor JB Pritzker really needs help from the federal government to suppress crime, “he just doesn’t realize he needs help yet.”
President Trump and Governor Pritzker have repeatedly criticized each other over the prospect of the White House ordering federal troops to Chicago. Mr. Trump has accused the state of Illinois and the city of Chicago of failing to control crime. Chicago recorded 573 murders in 2024, far higher than 377 in New York and 268 in Los Angeles.
Governor Pritzker acknowledged that he needed more federal support, but suggested the US government focus on increasing investigations and seizures of guns, and working with the FBI to catch criminals.
“We would welcome those measures, but that’s not in their plans,” he said.
Governor Pritzker warned that he was ready to sue the federal government if troops were deployed to Chicago, criticizing the idea as “a military takeover.”
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson also opposed the idea of sending the National Guard to the city, calling on the federal government to invest in the city instead of deploying the military.
Since June, Mr. Trump has repeatedly sent thousands of National Guardsmen and Marines to Los Angeles and Washington, DC, to suppress riots, crack down on illegal immigrants and reduce crime rates. Mr. Trump asserted that these measures have helped reduce violent crime by 45% and carjackings by 87% in the capital.