CHICAGO — After the federal takeover of the Washington, DC, police to combat the “crime, bloodshed, bedlam and squalor,” President Donald Trump has now set his sights on Chicago.
“Chicago's a mess," said Trump during a meeting at the Oval Office with FIFA President Gianni Infantino on Aug. 22. "You have an incompetent mayor. Grossly incompetent. We'll straighten that one out probably next. That'll be our next one after this.”
Trump's comments come at a point where Chicago has seen significant reductions in violent crime, according to Mayor Brandon Johnson's office. High-profile mass shootings continue to rock the city. But overall crime has declined, including a 30% drop in homicides, the mayor's office said. Deploying the National Guard could potentially undermine the city's progress, Johnson said.
"The problem with the President's approach is that it is uncoordinated, uncalled for, and unsound," said the city's progressive mayor. "Unlawfully deploying the National Guard to Chicago has the potential to inflame tensions between residents and law enforcement when we know that trust between police and residents is foundational to building safer communities. An unlawful deployment would be unsustainable and would threaten to undermine the historic progress we have made."
