Trump Pushes for National Guard in Chicago After Violent Labor Day

Source: Anna Moneymaker / Getty

President Trump is continuing to threaten the Black led city of Chicago with National Guard deployment after a violent Labor Day weekend leaves eight people killed and some 48 others wounded. 

Trump took to Truth Social on Monday to issue a stern warning to Gov. JB Pritzker, “He better straighten it out, fast, or we’re coming!” the message read. 

On Tuesday, Trump doubled down on his aggressive statements, calling the city the “murder capital of the world.”

“At least 54 people were shot in Chicago over the weekend, 8 people were killed,” one of Trump’s posts read. “The last two weekends were similar. Chicago is the worst and most dangerous city in the World, by far. Pritzker needs help badly, he just doesn’t know it yet. I will solve the crime problem fast, just like I did in DC. Chicago will be safe again, and soon. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

Fox 32 Chicago reports that this isn’t the first time that the president has threatened a federal takeover of the city. In 2020 he made similar threats in 2020, when Chicago was under then-Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s direction. Trump floated the idea of sending in “1,200 Guardsmen for four months [which] was projected to cost about $54 million.”

Roughly 2,400 National Guard troops have already been deployed in Washington, D.C. Meanwhile, the recent Labor Day shootings in Chicago have intensified Trump’s rhetoric.

“Soldiers are trained to break things and kill people. We are not trained to observe the constitutional rights of citizens. We are NOT trained to perform civilian law enforcement,” retired Major General William Enyart told Fox 32. 

Trump has repeatedly threatened a federal takeover of Chicago and other Black-led cities like Baltimore, Maryland. 

Enyart told the news station how Chicagoans can protect themselves if the National Guard is deployed.

So what would a National Guard presence actually mean for everyday Chicagoans?

“I would carry my ID, so I’m prepared to show it. I wouldn’t run from a Guardsman… just like I wouldn’t run from a cop,” Enyart said. 

“Avoid crowds, move slowly and only answer what’s legally required; If stopped: Ask, ‘Am I free to go?’ Travel smart: Keep prescriptions in original containers. Seal alcohol in the trunk.”

See social media’s response to Trump’s push for the National Guard to take over Chicago below. 

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