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President Donald Trump continued back-and-forth jabs with Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson late Tuesday night as the Windy City experienced another deadly weekend.
In a post on Truth Social, the president called Pritzker “incompetent” and said Johnson is “no better” while talking about Chicago crime statistics – six dead and 27 injured – from the weekend.
Trump also said Pritzker should call him for help, which likely won’t happen as the Democratic governor said federal assistance combating crime in the city is “exactly the type of overreach that our country’s founders warned against.”
“A really DEADLY weekend in Chicago. 6 DEAD, 27 HURT IN CRIME SPREES ALLOVER THE CITY. Panic stricken Governor Pritzker says that crime is under control, when in fact it is just the opposite. He is an incompetent Governor who should call me for HELP. Mayor Johnson is no better. Make Chicago Great Again!” Trump wrote late Tuesday night.
ILLINOIS DEMOCRAT LEADERS BLAST TRUMP PUSH TO SEND NATIONAL GUARD TO CHICAGO
President Donald Trump continued the ongoing jabs with Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson as the Democrats fight against the idea of troops patrolling the Windy City. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images; Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images)
The president and Democratic leaders in Illinois, specifically Chicago, have been embroiled in disagreement over the way the city should fight crime.
Trump has floated the idea of sending the National Guard into Chicago to crackdown on violent crimes – as he did in Washington, D.C., nearly two weeks ago – but has been met with much opposition.
Pritzker and Johnson have insisted that the city does not need to be “occupied” by the military to cut down on crime.
“Chicagoans are not asking for a militarized force to occupy our city. We’re not asking for that,” Johnson said on Monday during a citywide news conference.
At the same conference, Pritzker told Trump to not come to Chicago, as he is “neither wanted here nor needed here.”
Crime statistics publicly available on the Chicago police department’s website show that last week the city experienced nine murders, 27 criminal sexual assaults, 128 robberies, 114 aggravated batteries, 117 burglaries, 297 motor vehicle thefts and nearly 1,000 incidents of felony or misdemeanor theft.
While all categories are down compared to last year, there is a 40% increase in crime overall when compared to 2021. FOX 32 Chicago also reported that more illegal guns are recovered in Chicago than Los Angeles and New York City combined.
WHITE HOUSE ACCUSES PRITZKER, ILLINOIS DEMS OF WHINING WHILE CHICAGO CRIME RAGES
Chicago was also dubbed the “nation’s homicide capital” for the 13th consecutive year in March, as the city experienced 573 murders in 2024, according to local outlet The Center Square.
Chicago crime statistics posted online by the police department show that there is a lot of crime in the city, but it is down 40% compared to 2021. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
The City of Chicago has pushed back with its own fact sheet, arguing Johnson’s primary focus has been “driving down violent crime in Chicago” during his first two years as mayor, citing a 33% reduction in homicides and a 38% reduction in shootings year-to-date.
Johnson also highlighted a “citywide homicide clearance rate of 77.4%,” which his office said is “the highest in more than a decade,” as the mayor emphasizes mental health and a “holistic approach to community safety.”
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said during a news conference that “Chicagoans are not asking for a militarized force to occupy our city.” (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
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The administration’s suggestion to deploy National Guard troops to crime-ridden Chicago comes amid an ongoing operation in the nation’s capital.
More than 2,200 troops have been patrolling the streets of D.C. over the past nearly two weeks and the city has only experienced one homicide during that time period.
Fox News Digital’s Deirdre Heavey contributed to this report.
