CHICAGO (WGN) Mayor Brandon Johnson expressed strong opposition on Sunday to any suggested military occupation of Chicago, following President Donald Trump’s implication of deploying the National Guard to the city as part of a nationwide crime crackdown.
According to Johnson, he has aligned with Gov. JB Pritzker and the Cook County Board President, asserting that no one in their leadership is asking for a military operation in Chicago.
In a press conference held in the Oval Office on Friday, Trump discussed his recent effort to tackle crime in Washington, D.C., by deploying National Guard troops to the capital. He indicated he might consider sending troops to Chicago next.
Trump stated, “The National Guard has done an incredible job working alongside the police, and we haven’t had to bring in the regular military, although we’re prepared to if necessary. After handling this, we’ll move on to another location, with the goal of making our nation exceedingly safe, making our cities extremely secure. Chicago will likely be next, and then we’ll assist New York.”
Johnson says legal operations are currently being evaluated to protect Chicagoans from what he says is overreach by the federal government.
Johnson responded, “Firstly, it’s essential to understand that this is not the military’s role. Those who have enlisted to serve our country didn’t sign up to occupy American cities.”
The Washington Post reports that the Pentagon has been planning a military deployment to Chicago for several weeks, with thousands of National Guard members potentially arriving in the city as soon as September.
“Chicago is a mess, you have an incompetent mayor, grossly incompetent and we will straighten that one out next. That will be our next one after this, and it won’t even be tough. And the people in Chicago, Mr. Vice President, are screaming for us to come. They are wearing Red hats, just like this one, but they are wearing red hats,” Trump said. “African American ladies, beautiful ladies, are saying, ‘Please, Mr. Trump, come to Chicago, please.’”
Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton fired back at Trump in a social media post, saying, “If Trump wants to take his ego trip on tour, he picked the wrong city. Chicago doesn’t bow down to kings or roll out the red carpet for dictators. As a Black woman from the South Side, I can assure you, your political circus isn’t welcome here.”
Meanwhile, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, in a post on X entitled “Things People are Begging For,” included cheaper groceries, no cuts to Medicaid or food aid for low-income families, and the release of federally held files on Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex trafficker and former Trump friend.
What they are not begging for, Pritzker continued, is “an authoritarian power grab of major cities.”
Despite claims of outrageous crime, Chicago saw a significant decline in violent crime during the first half of the year.
“We have seen over a 32% decrease in homicides, shootings are down almost 40%, shooting victims are down almost 40%, robberies are down, vehicle car hijackings are down,” Johnson said. “We’re moving in the right direction for a safe and affordable big city.”
He says if Trump really wants to help Chicago, his agenda should be restoring funding for things like Medicaid, SNAP benefits, housing and education, adding he’ll do everything in his power to fight what he calls a threat to democracy.
“That’s not Chicago, that’s not America. We won’t bend, we won’t cower, we won’t break under this authoritarian rule,” Johnson said. “This is costly, illegal and unconstitutional. I’ll use every tool to keep the city safe.”
