Speaking aboard the USS George Washington at the Yokosuka Naval Base in Japan, President Donald J. Trump delivered a thunderous message on combating crime in American cities.
“We have cities that are troubled,” Trump declared, his tone equal parts steel and resolve. “And we’re sending in our National Guard — and if we need more than the National Guard, we’ll send more than the National Guard, because we’re gonna have safe cities. We’re not gonna have people killed in our cities. Whether people like that or not, that’s what we’re doing.”
In September, Chicago suffered one of the bloodiest Labor Day weekends in its recent history — nearly 60 shot, at least nine killed — under Democratic Mayor Brandon Johnson’s watch. For the thirteenth straight year, Chicago topped the nation in homicides, with 572 murders in 2024 alone. Yet, instead of seeking help, Illinois Democratic Governor J.B. Pritzker continued to defy federal offers of assistance. “Donald Trump is attempting to manufacture a crisis,” Pritzker had claimed, while insisting that “big cities have crime.”
But the Trump administration wasn’t buying it. “Despite pleas from residents, city council members, and even MSNBC hosts,” the White House stated, “Governor Pritzker is too blinded by Trump Derangement Syndrome to act in the best interest of his constituents.” Trump put it bluntly: “We’re going in. I didn’t say when we’re going in. This isn’t political — I have an obligation.”
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By early October, that obligation took form. The War Department, under Secretary Pete Hegseth, authorized 300 Illinois National Guard troops to protect federal agents and facilities under siege in Chicago. Pritzker immediately dubbed the move “Trump’s Invasion,” railing that “federalized members of the Illinois National Guard” were being deployed “against our wishes.” The administration responded that the troops would defend ICE agents and federal buildings under violent threat — a duty clearly allowed under 10 U.S.C. §12406, which authorizes the president to act when federal law cannot be executed by regular forces.
“Everybody knows Chicago is a hellhole right now,” Trump said. “We’re going to straighten it out.” Operation Midway Blitz followed — a sweep that netted hundreds of illegal immigrants with criminal backgrounds, including gang members and murderers. Meanwhile, the Texas National Guard began preparing to bolster the Illinois deployment.
Trump didn’t stop there. As riots erupted in Portland, Oregon, he authorized the deployment of 200 California and Oregon National Guard members, describing cities like Portland and Chicago as “burning.” When a federal judge blocked the order, Trump fired back, calling the decision “shameful.”
“I believe the politicians are under threat,” Trump said. “There’s no way someone can say things are wonderful in Chicago. We’re going to straighten it out. And I think Pritzker — he’s afraid for his life.”
Trump’s message from Japan was unmistakable: under his leadership, law and order will no longer be optional. “We’re gonna have safe cities,” he vowed. “Whether people like that or not.”
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