President Donald Trump indicated he might resort to the Insurrection Act to address violent crime in Chicago, urging Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker to “ask for help.” This statement intensified an ongoing dispute between the two leaders.
While en route back to the U.S. from Egypt, where he conducted a peace tour, Trump spoke to reporters on Air Force One, mentioning that the nation’s efforts against violent crime reflected strong leadership. He expressed a desire for governors in high-crime areas to adopt similar approaches.
“I want them to be tougher and tougher and stop us from having record crime in Chicago and other places. I want them to admit they have a problem,” Trump noted.
He highlighted alarming statistics, noting approximately 4,000 shootings and murders in Chicago over the last year and a half, alongside many others who were shot but survived. He contrasted this with lower crime rates in locations like Washington, D.C., and Memphis, where he had deployed the National Guard.
A reporter asked if he intended to invoke the Insurrection Act, especially since legal hurdles had limited the National Guard’s actions in Illinois. A judge recently ruled that while the National Guard could remain in the state, it could not patrol or protect federal property.
“If you want to use it, you can use it. That’s a very simple answer. You’re allowed to use the Insurrection Act,” Trump responded.
He referred to a recent discussion featuring Chris Christie, who noted that about 50% of past presidents had invoked the Insurrection Act, asserting its validity could not be contested.
The Insurrection Act was established in 1807, allowing the president to deploy active-duty troops or the National Guard in specific situations, including civil disorder or obstruction of federal law. It’s been invoked by various presidents, the last being George H.W. Bush during the 1992 riots in Los Angeles.
Trump had previously considered it during the protests following George Floyd’s death but did not take formal action. However, he stated there was “no need to go yet” because his administration was winning some appeals against legal challenges.
When asked for a message to Pritzker, Trump didn’t hold back, criticizing the governor’s handling of crime in Chicago. “He’s running a terrible operation and I think he should get help,” Trump said. “He’s letting people get killed in his city because he doesn’t want anything to do with Chicago. I love Chicago. Chicago can be great again – and soon. I would clean it up and get rid of the criminals.”
He added that the effective crime reduction seen in Washington, D.C., where 1,700 hardened criminals were removed, could be replicated in Chicago.
“And when you mentioned the Insurrection Act, yeah, I could do that. Many presidents have done that,” Trump continued. “Fifty percent of presidents used the Insurrection Act because they don’t want to go through something where 4,000 people were shot and somebody said, ‘There was no crime.’ You know what?”
