Trump walks back Chicago ‘war’ threat, vows to ‘clean up’ cities : NPR
Chicago demonstrators protested the Trump plan on Saturday to deploy the National Guard in the city.
Mustafa Hussain for NPR
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Mustafa Hussain for NPR
President Trump says that he does not intend to “wage war” with American cities, but promises to “clean them” in his last comments on an apparent plan to send national guard troops to American metropolitan areas to help fight crime or help expel alleged immigrants without papers.
We asked Trump on Sunday if he threatened war with Chicago following an article on his social social website one day earlier.
“We are not going to war. We are going to clean our cities,” Trump told journalists on Sunday leaving the White House. “We are going to clean them so that they don’t kill five people every weekend. It’s not war, it’s common sense.”
Trump posted online on Saturday that Chicago was “about to find out why it is called the Ministry of War”. (Last week, Trump signed an order to rename the Ministry of Defense, although the Congress should officially change its title.)
The social media post presented references to the 1979 Vietnam war film Apocalypse now In addition to an image of Trump, compensated to look like a character in the film, Lieutenant-Colonel Bill Kilgore.
In response to the post, Illinois Democratic Governor JB Pritzker wrote on X that Trump “threatened to go to war with an American city. It is not a joke. It is not normal”. Pritzker added: “Donald Trump is not a strong man, he is a frightened man. The Illinois will not be intimidated by a budding dictator.”
The mayor of Chicago, Brandon Johnson, also a democrat, said that Trump’s threats were “in honor of our nation, but the reality is that he wanted to occupy our city and break our constitution”.
In recent weeks, Trump and other administration officials have suggested that Trump could send members of the National Guard to Chicago. Trump said Chicago needed federal aid to fight crime, even if the mayor says homicides, shootings, flights and car cars all decrease. Members of the custody can also be used to help federal officers to make deportations and immigration raids.
Trump has also threatened to send troops to Baltimore and New Orleans in recent days, cities where crime is also down. Chicago, Baltimore and New Orleans are all strongly democratic.
Trump’s intention to send national guard troops to American cities that did not ask them also faced judicial disputes. Last week, a federal judge ruled that the use by Trump of the National Guard in Los Angeles in June was illegal and violated the Comitatus Law posse.
In August, Trump affirmed federal control over the Washington, DC police forces and deployed the national guard in the city streets for the objections of certain local leaders. Due to its unique status, the federal government has greater authority over the national capital than other American cities.
Chicago demonstrators protested the Trump administration on Saturday.
Mustafa Hussain for NPR
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Mustafa Hussain for NPR
In Chicago, opponents of Trump’s plan to deploy the National Guard were heard during the weekend.
The walkers filled the streets of downtown Chicago on Saturday evening, passing by Trump Tower and singing slogans such as “No Hate. No fear. Immigrants are welcome here ”.
Earlier in the day, the organizers of the Pilsen district of the city organized a parade to mark the day of Mexican independence.
Among the people present were Liliana Scales, who said she thought it was important for her to go out on behalf of other people who are afraid to leave their homes.
“We are here. We are not leaving,” she said. “Whatever the generation, whatever the threat, whatever the president in office – we do not leave.”
