U.S. President Trump said that Chicago may become the federal government's next target for crime crackdown.
On the 11th of this month, Trump claimed that crime in Washington D.C. had "gotten out of control," and announced a series of initiatives, including the deployment of the first batch of 800 National Guard members to Washington and the federal takeover of the Washington police department.
In interviews with several media outlets at the White House on the 22nd, Trump said that since the National Guard was deployed by the federal government, the capital has become "one of the safest places in the world." Next, the National Guard will be sent to other places to make cities across the country safer.
● Criticizing Chicago's Democratic Mayor as “Incompetent”
He criticized Chicago's Democratic mayor, Brandon Johnson, as “incompetent” and described Chicago as “a mess” and “very dangerous,” saying he would resolve the issue. “Maybe Chicago will be our next target.”
Johnson responded that Trump’s actions were “uncoordinated, unsolicited, and reckless.” He said if the federal government wants to help Chicago reduce crime and violence, there are many things it could do, but deploying armed forces is not one of them.
● ‘Rampant Crime’ in Democrat-Run Cities
He also mentioned that cities run by Democrats such as Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Baltimore, and Oakland are experiencing “rampant crime.” In the following days, states led by the Republican Party—West Virginia, South Carolina, and four others—announced they would send National Guard members to Washington in support of the federal government's actions.
Laura Kelly, head of the Democratic Governors Association and Governor of Kansas, recently called on Republican-led states not to deploy National Guard members to the capital to support a “dangerous, politically motivated agenda.” She said that in the absence of a request and consent from local governments, deploying the National Guard to other jurisdictions would waste resources needed for real emergencies, and would also exacerbate divisions that already threaten national unity.