CHICAGO – President Donald Trump’s strategy to address crime in U.S. cities may come into sharper focus this week, as he reiterates his call to deploy the National Guard more widely.
Over the weekend, Trump doubled down on his plan to curb crime and crack down on illegal immigration, specifically in Chicago.
“Do you know how many people were killed in Chicago last weekend? Eight. You know how many people were killed in Chicago the week before? Seven. You know how many people wounded? Seventy-four people were wounded. You think there’s worse than that? I don’t think so,” Trump told reporters at the White House when asked about Chicago.
His remarks came amid questions about a meme he shared on Truth Social the previous day, which critics said threatened Chicago with deportations of illegal immigrants and the use of the U.S. military. The meme featured an AI image of Trump styled as Robert Duvall’s character in “Apocalypse Now,” a Vietnam War-era movie about a U.S. military officer who went rogue in the Cambodian jungle. The words “Chipocalypse Now” were also seen on the image.
“‘I love the smell of deportations in the morning…’” Trump wrote in the post, referring to a famous quote from the movie. “Chicago about to find out why it’s called the Department of WAR,” he added.
When asked again about the post on social media, Trump told reporters that “we’re not going to war.”
“We’re going to clean up our cities. We’re going to clean them up so they don’t kill five people every weekend,” he said. “That’s not war. That’s common sense,” he added before boarding Marine One to watch the U.S. Open men’s singles final.
Trump’s focus on Chicago comes as his administration extends a National Guard deployment in Washington, D.C., citing concerns over crime and homelessness in the capital. He has repeatedly characterized Washington, D.C., as “one of the most dangerous cities anywhere in the world.”
In August, Trump said he was considering sending the National Guard to Chicago calling the Windy City “a mess.” He said on Aug. 22 that his administration will “straighten that one out probably next,” adding that “it won’t even be tough.”
Meanwhile, the White House has not offered additional details of a potential deployment of troops to Chicago.
Trump has also threatened to send troops to Baltimore and has cited crime in Portland and Boston to justify a broader crackdown.
