Vice President Discusses National Guard Situation in Chicago
On Wednesday, Vice President Vance stated that there isn’t an immediate plan to deploy the National Guard to Chicago as a means to address rising crime, following weeks of discussions from President Trump.
When asked about the potential number of National Guard members and the timeline for their deployment, Vance encouraged Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker to reach out for assistance.
“There’s no immediate plan in place,” Vance mentioned to reporters in Minneapolis after a visit to a site of school shootings last week. “But the president believes he has the legal authority to protect U.S. citizens, whether in Chicago or Washington, D.C.”
He added, “As the president said, we want to collaborate with the governor. Our goal isn’t about being Democrats or Republicans.”
While Vance has prompted the president to address the matter, he expressed a desire to refrain from elaborating further out of respect for the families of recent victims who were visiting on that day.
Trump indicated on Wednesday that he aims to “straighten out” Chicago, but Pritzker remarked that the president should request his permission before considering sending the National Guard to the city.
Recently, Trump’s rhetoric has evolved, becoming more definitive. He noted on Tuesday that it wasn’t a straightforward issue of merely sending troops to Chicago and maintained that he would prefer if the governor initiated that request.
A few weeks prior, Trump had deployed federal law enforcement to Washington, D.C. However, sending the National Guard in Chicago is subject to the city’s home rule, which would require local approval for such action. Since Trump lacks that authority in Illinois, Pritzker advised caution regarding the National Guard’s deployment.
Trump also referenced considering New Orleans, a city governed by a Republican but with a Democratic mayor, as a potential site for tackling crime. This shift towards Republican-led areas follows recent federal law enforcement focus on cities managed by Democrats, like Chicago and Los Angeles.
