President Donald Trump clarified on Sunday that he has no plans to engage in war with Chicago, despite a recent social media post suggesting otherwise.
Asked whether he was “threatening to go to war with Chicago,” Trump told reporters, “We’re not going to war. We’re going to clean up our cities.”
“We’re going to clean them up, so they don’t kill 5 people every weekend. That’s not war. That’s common sense,” Trump added.
Trump has suggested in recent weeks that Chicago would be his next target for a large-scale immigration enforcement operation.
Trump recently intensified his rhetoric, sharing an AI-generated image portraying himself as a law enforcement officer amidst a burning Chicago. The scene, featuring helicopters and the phrase “Chipocalypse Now,” alludes to the film “Apocalypse Now” and the city itself.
In his post, Trump referenced his executive order to rename the Department of Defense as the Department of War, saying he relishes the enforcement actions planned for Chicago.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) fired back in a social media post.
“The President of the United States is threatening to go to war with an American city,” Pritzker wrote. This is not a joke. This is not normal.”
“Donald Trump isn’t a strongman, he’s a scared man,” he added. “Illinois won’t be intimidated by a wannabe dictator.”
Additionally, Tom Homan, Trump’s border czar, mentioned on Sunday that Chicago is set to experience immigration enforcement in the coming week, potentially involving the National Guard.
