WASHINGTON, D.C.—President Donald Trump is threatening to expand his controversial deployment of armed National Guard troops beyond Washington, D.C., into Baltimore, Chicago, and possibly New York, escalating a standoff with Democratic officials who say such moves are unlawful and unnecessary.
Nearly 1,900 Guard members are already patrolling the capital, carrying M-4 rifles and M-17 pistols, under a new federal order that also places the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department under temporary control of the Department of Justice. President Trump has described the operation as a model for restoring order in what he calls “crime-plagued cities.”
The Guard’s Joint Task Force-D.C. explained in a written statement that its personnel would only use force “as a last resort and solely in response to an imminent threat of death or serious bodily harm.”
President Trump stated that other Democratic run cities would follow. “I think Chicago will be our next,” he told reporters at the White House, adding, “And then we’ll help with New York.”
The Washington Post reported that “the Pentagon has for weeks been planning a military deployment to Chicago,” which could involve “mobilizing at least a few thousand members of the National Guard as soon as September” or even “the use of thousands of active-duty troops.”
The Pentagon confirmed it is drafting plans for future National Guard deployments.
Political officials in Illinois and Maryland have responded strongly to the president’s statements, which are amounting to an escalating “war of words” among politicians.
They argue that, although there is still more work to be done to address and reduce crime and increase public safety, progress has been made, and there is no need to dispatch military troops.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson responded to the president’s plans, saying, “This is political theater, not public safety.” Mayor Johnson and other Illinois officials and activists held a news conference in downtown Chicago on Aug. 25.
“One shooting, one homicide is one too many, and that’s why this block club today is so powerful, because it’s a reminder of how much work we have to do,” Mayor Johnson said. “Look at all of these young people and these families that are here today.
This is who Chicago really is. What’s being painted by the federal government is false. We love one another, we support one another. We put our arms around one another, we invest in one another, because we know that we are our best keepers of one another.”
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker also condemned the idea, insisting crime rates are improving. “The state of Illinois at this time has received no requests or outreach from the federal government asking if we need assistance, and we have made no requests for federal intervention,” he said in a statement.
“The safety of the people of Illinois is always my top priority. There is no emergency that warrants the President of the United States federalizing the Illinois National Guard, deploying the National Guard from other states, or sending active-duty military within our own borders.
“Donald Trump is attempting to manufacture a crisis, politicize Americans who serve in uniform, and continue abusing his power to distract from the pain he is causing working families. We will continue to follow the law, stand up for the sovereignty of our state, and protect the people of Illinois,” he added.
After a back-and-forth exchange between President Trump and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, following the governor’s invitation for the president to walk the streets of Baltimore to assess its safety, the city was added to the list.
Gov. Moore told the media that Baltimore’s homicide rate has dropped 20 percent this year. “Baltimore is safer today than it has been in decades,” Gov. Moore said.
“We know—if one person does not feel safe in their neighborhood, that’s one too many. But we also know what tactics actually work and what tactics is just theatrics,” he said. Gov. Moore explained that the federal help his state needs is an end to funding cuts for violence intervention groups “that are supporting local jurisdictions like Baltimore.”
In an interview on ABC News on Aug. 25, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said he appreciated Gov. Moore, “standing up for Baltimore and standing up for Maryland and being a real partner to us in the work that happens on the ground each and every day.”
Black mayors are also concerned about the president’s actions. They want their crime reduction accomplishments recognized. “It gives us an opportunity to say we need to amplify our voices to confront the rhetoric that crime is just running rampant around major U.S. cities. It’s just not true,” said Van Johnson, mayor of Savannah, Georgia, and president of the African American Mayors Association.
Father Michael Pfleger of St. Sabina Church in Chicago also spoke at the Chicago news conference. He has been an advocate for peace and has worked with his congregation on several initiatives to address violence and work with disadvantaged youth in the city.
“We all reject any deployment of the National Guard on Chicago streets. We do not need nor want the militarization of Chicago or Illinois, which is only going to induce fear, chaos and disturb the progress we are presently making to decrease violence. The state of emergency is in America, not Chicago,” said Father Pfleger.