Bethany MaGee, left, and Lawrence Reed, right, are shown in a split image; Reed is accused of setting MaGee on fire aboard a Chicago L train on Nov. 17, 2025, authorities said. (Bethany MaGee via Facebook; Chicago Police Department)
Trump for months has attempted to send troops to Chicago, as he has done in Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and Memphis, Tenn., to help curb violent crime. He has said those deployments caused crime to plummet.
But Pritzker and Johnson have staunchly opposed deploying troops. They have called any deployment unconstitutional and insisted the city is not facing the kind of crime crisis the White House claims. The president has also floated invoking the Insurrection Act to tackle violent crime in Chicago.
"But we're ready to go," Trump said Tuesday. "You know, we've been moving toward Chicago. We have a governor that thinks it's wonderful that only like seven people were killed this week... It’s horrible what's happening in Chicago."
Train video shows Reed allegedly coming up behind a woman and pouring the liquid on her head and body before lighting her on fire. (U.S. District Court documents)
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Shortly before Trump’s comments on Tuesday, the White House weighed in on the attack, blasting left-wing policies in deep-blue cities.
"Liberal soft-on-crime policies are FAILING American communities and endangering law-abiding citizens," the White House wrote on X.
"A career criminal with 72 arrests should have never been free to roam the streets. Pray for Bethany."
Fox News' Stephen Sorace, Greg Wehner, Alexandra Koch and Patrick McGovern contributed to this report.
Michael Dorgan is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business.
You can send tips to michael.dorgan@fox.com and follow him on Twitter @M_Dorgan.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-calls-chicago-out-control-after-train-attack-left-woman-critically-burned