appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Agence France-Presse

US President Donald Trump on Friday said Chicago is likely to be the next target of his efforts to crack down on crime, homelessness and illegal immigration.
Trump indicated that the Midwestern city could receive similar treatment to what he has done in Washington, where he has deployed 2,000 troops on the streets.
“I think Chicago will be our next,” Trump told reporters at the White House, adding, “And then we’ll help with New York.”
The comments came as the Pentagon on Friday began ordering troops in Washington to carry firearms, though there have been no overt indications they have faced threats that would require them to carry weapons.
Trump has repeatedly described some of the nation’s largest cities – run by Democrats, with black mayors and majority-minority populations – as dangerous and filthy.
He singled out Chicago on Friday, calling it a “mess” and saying residents there are “screaming for us to come” despite significant decreases in crimes of violence.
Trump’s suggestion that Chicago might be the next target for a crackdown on crime did not sit well with Illinois officeholders.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said his office has not received formal communication from the Trump administration about military or federal law enforcement deployments in Chicago but said, “we have grave concerns about the impact of any unlawful deployment of National Guard troops”.

Johnson called Trump’s approach “uncoordinated, uncalled-for, and unsound”, arguing it “has the potential to inflame tensions between residents and law enforcement”.
It is unclear how Trump would pursue an effort in Chicago that is similar to his approach to Washington, where home rule laws give the federal government greater authority.
However, the president’s eldest son said it might be time to look at a whole host of cities in the Pacific northwest. In an interview on Thursday with Newsmax, Donald Trump Jnr blamed Democrats for “through-the-roof” murder rates.
“Maybe we should roll out the tour to Portland, Seattle, the other craphole cities of the country,” Trump Jnr said.
In a post on social media entitled “Things People are Begging For”, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, a Democrat, 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”.
Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois, the Senate’s No 2 Democrat, called Trump’s Washington strategy “political theatre”. He said Chicago was “a beautiful, vibrant city with people from all walks of life” and suggested pursuing “proven bipartisan solutions” towards further crime reduction.


“These unprecedented threats from President Trump are nothing more than a power grab to distract from his disastrous policies,” Durbin said in a statement.
Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, an Army National Guard combat veteran, criticised what she called Trump’s misuse of the military to “intimidate Americans in our own communities”.
Lisa Hernandez, chair of the Democratic Party of Illinois, called Trump’s comments “offensive and false” and argued his rhetoric echoes a history of racist narratives about urban crime.
“Chicagoans are not begging for him,” she said.
Trump has taken aim at Chicago for more than a decade, including on the 2024 and 2016 presidential campaign trails.
He has repeatedly compared the city to Afghanistan and, in 2017, threatened to “send in the feds” due to gun violence in the city, despite historic declines in violent crime in recent years.

Violent crime in Chicago dropped significantly in the first half of the year, representing the steepest decline in over a decade, according to city data.
Shootings and homicides were down more than 30 per cent in the first half of 2025 compared to the same time last year, and total violent crime dropped by over 22 per cent.
Johnson touted the city’s approach to violent crime, asserting in a statement that “our communities are safest when we fully invest in housing, community safety, and education”.
While Trump turns to the military, he said Chicago has invested in mental health services, community-based interventions, raising minimum wages and improving affordable housing.
If he wants to make the city safer, Johnson said, Trump should restore US$158 million he cut from violence-prevention programmes for cities such as Chicago.
“There are many things the federal government could do to help us reduce crime and violence in Chicago, but sending in the military is not one of them,” he said.
Pastor Donovan Price, a local advocate for gun crime victims, emphasised that community-based anti-violence programmes, rather than militarism, are key to reducing gun violence in Chicago.
“Stay out of our city,” he said. “This is not a federal issue. We live this every day. We know what our community needs.”


China unveils auto industry blueprint to set EV, AI vehicle and semiconductor standards

Why there’s no point in signing a fourth China-US communique

China’s drug regulator clears wave of home-grown innovative medicines amid biotech boom

What to watch at Shangri-La Dialogue after Trump’s China visit resets ties

United States

Chicago officials slam Trump’s threat over military deployment: ‘stay out of our city’

A busy street in downtown Chicago as a train passes along overhead tracks during morning rush hour traffic. Photo: Shutterstock

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said he has “grave concerns” about the deployment of National Guards in the city. Photo: AP

US Senator Tammy Duckworth called Trump’s misuse of the military was to “intimidate Americans in our own communities”. Photo: AP

Trump expands cities targeted for possible military deployment to Baltimore

Members of the US National Guard walk past the Capitol building in Washington. US President Donald Trump has threatened to expand his military deployments to Baltimore, Maryland. Photo: Zuma Press Wire / dpa

Maryland Governor Wes Moore in Annapolis, Maryland. Photo: Baltimore Sun / TNS

Reverend Al Sharpton speaks to reporters at Howard University’s Cramton Auditorium on Sunday. Photo: AP

Pentagon plans military deployment to Chicago in Trump crackdown on immigration

A woman poses with a member of the National Guard in Washington on August 23. Photo: AP

National Guard in Washington start carrying guns, rifles after Trump’s order

Armed members of the South Carolina National Guard stand outside Union Station in Washington on Sunday. Photo: AP

Members of the South Carolina National Guard patrol the Amtrak area of Union Station in Washington on Sunday. Photo: AP

Trump visits police, troops in Washington after saying he would patrol streets

US President Donald Trump visits law enforcement officers and National Guard soldiers in Washington on Thursday. Photo: AP

US Attorney General Pam Bondi hands out food to law enforcement officers in Washington on Thursday. Photo: AFP

News

World

United States & Canada

Local officials and activists called the potential federal deployment of troops ‘uncoordinated’ and an ‘authoritarian power grab’


Local officials and activists called the potential federal deployment of troops ‘uncoordinated’ and an ‘authoritarian power grab’.


Chicago officials slam Trump’s threat over military deployment: ‘stay out of our city’

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Local officials and activists called the potential federal deployment of troops ‘uncoordinated’ and an ‘authoritarian power grab’

Local officials and activists called the potential federal deployment of troops ‘uncoordinated’ and an ‘authoritarian power grab’