President Donald Trump has repeated his invitation to Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker to request military intervention in Chicago after a wave of violent crime incidents hit the Windy City over the weekend.
“At least 39 people injured, 4 dead, in Chicago weekend shootings,” the president wrote on his Truth Social platform late Monday.
“Governor Pritzker, I, as President, can fix this, FAST and Permanently. D.C., Memphis, New Orleans, all down to record lows, and quickly! CALL ME!”
Trump issued a similar appeal Sunday, questioning Pritzker’s failure to call him and pledging: “I could make Chicago a safe City in ONE MONTH, in ONE YEAR, it would be one of the safest!!!”
The governor did address the president’s comments Monday, beginning by mocking Trump over the botched cleaning of the Washington Monument’s Reflecting Pool and over his failure to foresee the blockading of the Strait of Hormuz in his war with Iran.
“I don’t think that we should be listening to this president about promises that he makes or that he has any idea how to protect us in the state of Illinois,” Pritzker continued.
“I am deeply concerned to make sure that we are keeping the people of Illinois safe and we’ve had some terrible tragedies that have occurred. It’s why I have asked for help from the FBI, the DEA, the ATF because going after guns and drugs and gangs is something that concerns me just like it does local residents who are affected by those factors.
“So I wish that he would stop tweeting or, I guess Truth Social-ing, and instead actually help us with the things that we really need.”
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has also responded to the president, writing on X: “Trump has worked overtime to defund the agencies and programs that actually build safer communities.
“Whether it’s by defunding the ATF – the federal agency tasked with getting illegal weapons off our streets – stripping our community violence intervention partners of their funding, or starting illegal wars that send prices skyrocketing, Trump has completely betrayed his promise to working Americans and is making all of our lives less safe.”
The Chicago Police Department has reported at least two dozen gun violence incidents since Friday evening, one of which was a mass shooting that saw 12 people injured when two gunmen opened fire from a SUV.
The victims in that attack – eight men and four women ranging in age from 17 to 47 – were taken to multiple hospitals. Another person was also injured but declined medical treatment, authorities said.
Contrary to the statistics cited by the president, the CPD has put the total number of fatalities at six, the youngest victim aged just 18.
The shootings occurred during Juneteenth celebrations, the annual holiday marking the end of slavery in the United States on June 19, 1865, the date on which the final enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation was ordered in Texas at the end of the Civil War.
Trump has shown a willingness to send in federal troops, notably the National Guard and ICE, into Democrat-run cities over the last year to settle perceived law enforcement problems, often against the wishes of local political leaders and the public, inspiring protests.
The arrival of federal immigration forces in Chicago last fall saw bad-tempered clashes between agents and demonstrators and was opposed by Pritzker, hence his apparent reluctance to turn to Trump in response to the present crisis.
