Trump’s National Guard Plans for Chicago Stir Controversy

President Donald Trump is contemplating deploying National Guard forces to Chicago, a move described as an “invasion” by Illinois Governor JB Pritzker during a CBS News interview that aired partially on Friday.

Pritzker expressed his concerns, indicating that there seems to be a coordinated plan behind the scenes. “If this happens, it’s essentially an invasion by the US military,” he told CBS’s Ed O’Keefe. The full interview will be featured on Sunday’s “Face the Nation.”

Trump’s consideration of this move comes after recently sending troops to Washington, D.C., with the aim of tackling crime in urban areas.

“People need to realize that he might have other objectives besides just addressing crime,” Pritzker added. “There’s a suggestion that this could be an attack on American citizens by the President himself. While he may target states that didn’t support him, the idea of sending troops raises serious questions,” he noted.

O’Keefe probed further, highlighting potential ulterior motives behind Trump’s intentions. He suggested that Trump might be seeking to influence the 2026 elections by claiming there are electoral issues and asserting control with troops on the ground.

The Illinois governor assured that the state would respond if National Guard troops were deployed to Chicago. “Unlike Donald Trump, we actually fulfill our commitments,” he said via a social media platform on Wednesday.

Pritzker voiced that there is no criminal emergency in Chicago and accused Trump of trying to fabricate a crisis. “It’s all about politicizing our armed forces and diverting attention from the very real struggles faced by working families,” he asserted.

A White House spokesperson, Abigail Jackson, criticized the governor’s approach, suggesting that Chicago residents would be better off if Pritzker focused on crime instead of attempting to act as a heroic figure in opposition to Trump.