President Donald Trump speaks with reporters in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, Aug. 22, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo)
TRUMP VOWED DC TAKEOVER MULTIPLE TIMES ON 2024 CAMPAIGN TRAIL: 'HE'S KEEPING HIS PROMISE'
Johnson called the Trump administration's efforts "uncoordinated, uncalled-for and unsound," seemingly snapping back at the president, who called him "grossly incompetent" earlier in the day.
He added the city has reduced homicides by 30%, robberies by 35% and shootings by almost 40% in the last year, suggesting federal action would deteriorate trust.
"Unlawfully deploying the National Guard to Chicago has the potential to inflame tensions between residents and law enforcement when we know that trust between police and residents is foundational to building safer communities," Johnson wrote. "An unlawful deployment would be unsustainable and would threaten to undermine the historic progress we have made."
DC Metropolitan Police detain a person after an altercation between members of the public in Washington, D.C., U.S., August 14, 2025. (REUTERS/Nathan Howard)
Trump federalized D.C.'s Metropolitan Police Department on Aug. 11 under the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, which allows the president to take emergency control of the police force for 30 days.
Just over a week later, six red states pledged to send 2,000 guardsmen to the nation's capital to help with the efforts, alongside agents from the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
An official confirmed to Fox News on Friday Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth authorized soldiers and airmen to be armed in D.C., if their mission requires it.
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The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Fox News Digital's Rachel Wolf contributed to this report.
Alexandra Koch is a Fox News Digital journalist who covers breaking news, with a focus on high-impact events that shape national conversation and influence government response.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/chicago-mayor-calls-trumps-national-guard-deployment-plan-uncoordinated-uncalled-for-unsound