President Donald Trump has reportedly indicated that he may expand the use of military forces to other U.S. cities after deploying thousands of National Guard troops to Washington, D.C. as part of his campaign against violent crime.
The president said Chicago could be next, criticizing the city’s leadership and vowing to “straighten out” its public safety issues, reports The Daily Beast.
Trump told reporters that the National Guard’s presence in the nation’s capital had restored order and claimed residents had lived in fear for years before the intervention. He praised the troops for coordinating with local law enforcement while insisting that the deployment of “regular military” forces had not yet been necessary.
Roughly 2,000 troops remain stationed in Washington, concentrated around Union Station and the National Mall.
Trump asserted the crackdown was working, pointing to a week without homicides as proof of success, although crime data shows several similar stretches earlier in the year without federal involvement.
Crime in D.C. rose sharply in 2023 but has since declined, with homicides and carjackings returning closer to pre-pandemic levels, The Daily Beast adds.
The president singled out Chicago as the next likely target for troop deployment, saying “Chicago’s a mess” and accusing its mayor of incompetence. He also floated the idea of extending the effort to New York and Los Angeles.
Trump admitted he had not spoken with Illinois Governor JB Pritzker but suggested Democrats were privately asking for federal help, though he did not provide names.
By law, federal control of Washington’s police force cannot extend past 30 days without congressional approval.
Trump, however, argued that a national emergency declaration would allow him to keep troops in place “as long as I want.”
Critics have warned that his portrayal of Washington as uniquely dangerous contradicts statistics and exaggerates the level of violence compared with other U.S. cities.
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