Vice President Vance stated on Wednesday that there are “no immediate” plans to deploy the National Guard to Chicago to reduce crime, despite President Trump’s recent suggestions about the possibility.
When asked about the specifics regarding National Guard support for Chicago, Vance encouraged Illinois Governor JB Pritzker to request assistance.
“There are no immediate plans, but the president believes he has the legal authority to protect American citizens in places like Chicago or Washington, D.C.,” Vance explained to reporters in Minneapolis after visiting the site of a school shooting from the previous week.
He continued, “We hope for governors who want to collaborate, regardless of their political affiliation, to reduce crime. Unfortunately, Governor Pritzker hasn’t stepped forward in this manner.”
Vance deferred further questioning to President Trump, expressing respect for the families of the shooting victims he visited, and chose not to expand further on the topic.
Trump earlier on Wednesday said he wants to “straighten out Chicago” but that Pritzker should ask him to send National Guard troops into the city.
President Trump’s statements have fluctuated, initially suggesting definite plans to deploy troops, to expressing a preference for governors to request military assistance for their cities like Chicago.
Trump sent federal law enforcement to Washington, D.C., weeks ago. But that decision to send the National Guard is protected under the city’s unique Home Rule that gives the president the authority to make the move without local approval. Trump doesn’t have that authority in states and Pritzker has warned the president against deploying the National Guard to Chicago.
Trump also floated the idea of New Orleans, which has a Democratic mayor but a Republican state governor, for the site of the next crime crack down. His move to lean on a Republican-controlled state comes after he has targeted Democratic-run cities like Chicago and Los Angeles for federal law enforcement to step in.
