Topline
President Donald Trump doubled down on his plans for a crime crackdown in Chicago Tuesday, writing on Truth Social that he would “solve the crime problem fast, just like I did in DC,” as he feuds with Democratic leaders in the state resisting his plans to send in the National Guard.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker (R) applauds after Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (gray suit) spoke to reporters during a news conference along the Chicago River on August 25, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Joshua Lott/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
The Washington Post via Getty Images
Key Facts
Trump highlighted gun crime in Chicago over the weekend, when 54 people were reportedly shot, including seven fatally, writing Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker “needs help badly, he just doesn’t know it yet.”
In a subsequent post Tuesday, Trump wrongly claimed “CHICAGO IS THE MURDER CAPITAL OF THE WORLD!” despite multiple other large U.S. cities having higher violent crime rates in 2024, according to FBI data.
Trump made several similar promises over the weekend, writing on Saturday on Truth Social Pritzker “better straighten it out, FAST, or we’re coming!”
Trump has named Chicago as one of the next targets for his so-called crime crackdowns like the one in Washington, D.C., where he sent in the National Guard and implemented a federal takeover of the Metropolitan Police Department to tamp down on crime.
Pritzker and other Democratic governors and mayors have pushed back against Trump’s threats, pointing out that he doesn’t have the authority to implement a takeover like the one in Washington without the Home Rule Act that mandates some federal control over the capital.
Big Number
-32%. That’s how much murders are down in Chicago this year for the week ending Aug. 24, according to Chicago Police Department statistics. The number of shooting incidents were down 36%.
Chief Critic
“Calling the military into a U.S. city to invade our streets and neighborhoods and disrupt the lives of everyday people is an extraordinary action, and it should require extraordinary justification,” Pritzker said last week.
What To Watch For
It’s unclear how Trump could activate the National Guard in Illinois or any other state where the governor doesn’t authorize permission. Trump activated the National Guard in California in July–the first time since 1965 a president has done so without permission from the governor of that state–using a rarely used law that allows the president to deploy the National Guard if “there is a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States.” A federal judge ruled Tuesday Trump violated federal law when he sent troops to Los Angeles to perform law enforcement duties, potentially compromising his ability to replicate the effort in Washington.
Key Background
Trump has threatened to deploy the National Guard and federal law enforcement officials to other localities, including Chicago, Baltimore and New York City, claiming a nationwide crime problem. Six of the seven major violent crimes—homicide, aggravated assault, gun assault, sexual assault, robbery and carjacking—were down nationally in the first half of 2025, compared to the first half of 2024, according to the Council on Criminal Justice’s survey of crime data from 42 American cities (domestic violence was the only major violent crime up this year). All seven major crimes have also dropped below pre-pandemic levels.
Further Reading
Trump’s Los Angeles Takeover Violated Federal Law, Judge Rules (Forbes)
Trump Claims He Can Extend DC Police Control Without Congress—Here’s Why That’s False (Forbes)
