Gov. JB Pritzker (D-IL) condemned President Donald Trump on Friday for threatening federal intervention in Chicago to tackle crime.
Speaking about Chicago over the weekend, the president suggested the government will “straighten that one out next” after he federalized Washington, D.C., earlier this month, sending federal troops and other law enforcement personnel to the area to target criminal activity in the country’s capital.
Pritzker responded to Trump’s proposal with a strongly worded statement accusing the president of attempting “to create chaos that distracts from his problems,” as well as “playing a game and creating a spectacle for the press to play along with.”
“Trump and Republicans are trying to distract from the pain they’re causing — from tariffs raising the prices of goods to stripping away healthcare and food from millions,” the Democratic governor said. “Trump’s goal is to incite fear in our communities and destabilize existing public safety efforts — all to create a justification to further abuse his power.”
The Illinois governor pointed to crime statistics he said proves crime in Chicago is not a major issue.
“Homicides are down by more than 30% in Chicago in the last year alone,” Pritzker said. “The safety of the people of Illinois is my highest priority, so we will follow the law and stand up for the sovereignty of our state.”
Crime in Chicago increased by 369% between 2019 and 2023, according to the Council on Criminal Justice analysis on crime in major U.S. cities.
Some crime has gone down, but with a caveat, according to critics. In 2023, homicides decreased by over 10%, but that’s still nearly 50% more homicides than a decade ago, according to the Illinois Policy Institute, a conservative think tank.
In 2024, homicides continued to drop, with the CPD touting last year as the first time in five years the city saw fewer than 600 murders. In an analysis of the numbers, the University of Chicago’s Civic Engagement Center noted that while violent crime was down over the previous year, the 2024 rate remained higher than the 5-year average. The primary contributors to this upward trend are aggravated assaults, aggravated batteries, and robberies, excluding carjackings, researchers wrote.
The city has come under attack for its crime by Republicans, with Trump telling reporters in the Oval Office on Friday that “Chicago’s a mess” and calling Mayor Brandon Johnson “grossly incompetent.” The Windy City needs similar federal intervention that Trump authorized in D.C. to target crime, the president said.
On Aug. 11, Trump declared a “crime emergency” in Washington, D.C. by invoking Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, leading to the deployment of roughly 800 D.C. National Guard troops. Multiple states have sent in members of their own National Guard to assist with the anti-crime agenda, which has been bolstered by federal law enforcement personnel from departments including the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Around 2,000 troops are now monitoring the area.
The president, who was wearing a red hat that said, “Trump Was Right About Everything,” suggested this week that Chicago would “be our next one” after D.C., claiming residents “wearing red hats just like this one” are “screaming for us to come.”
“African American ladies, beautiful ladies are saying, please, President Trump, come to Chicago, please,” Trump said in the Oval Office. “We’ll straighten that one out probably next…And it won’t even be tough.”
The president’s federal intervention in D.C. has drawn both praise and censure.
Critics say the district’s crime has been trending down and that the district was handling matters fine on its own. The president overstepped his authorities in bringing in the National Guard and carrying out other acts to tamp down crime, they argue.
Proponents contend D.C. officials have manipulated crime stats to make the city look better. The reality faced by residents is far worse than the picture the city’s leaders often paint, they say.
After Trump federalized the district with troops, carjackings in D.C. decreased by 83%, robberies by 46%, car thefts by 21%, and overall violent crime by 22% compared to the previous seven days, according to the Metropolitan Police Department’s police union.
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Chicago officials believe federalizing their city in a D.C.-like scenario would fail to resolve deeper issues, with Johnson calling Trump’s approach “uncoordinated, uncalled for, and unsound.”
“We know that our communities are safest when we fully invest in housing, community safety, and education,” the Chicago mayor said. “The National Guard will not alleviate the housing crisis. It will not put food in the stomachs of the 1 in 4 children that go to bed hungry every night in Chicago. The National Guard will not fully-fund our public schools or provide mental healthcare or substance abuse treatment to Chicagoans in need.”