President Donald Trump shared a digitally altered image depicting himself as a commander "at war" with Chicago, drawing backlash from Illinois leaders. (President Donald Trump via Truth Social)
Several Democrats blasted the president for his threats of "war" against U.S. cities, which comes as the federal government is potentially considering deploying the National Guard to Chicago to deal with crime – a move Illinois leaders have repeatedly criticized.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom responded to the post by saying Trump was "using our troops like political pawns."
"The President of the United States is deploying the military onto US streets and using our troops like political pawns," Newsom wrote on X. "DO NOT ALLOW YOURSELF TO BECOME NUMB TO THIS."
Newsom butted heads with Trump over the summer after National Guard troops and Marines were deployed to Los Angeles to respond to anti-ICE demonstrations and support federal immigration enforcement.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson have been feuding with President Donald Trump in recent weeks. (Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images)
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson have been feuding with Trump in recent weeks over the potential deployment of National Guard troops to Chicago.
"The President of the United States is threatening to go to war with an American city," Pritzker wrote on X on Saturday. "This is not a joke. This is not normal. Donald Trump isn't a strongman, he's a scared man. Illinois won’t be intimidated by a wannabe dictator."
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Johnson has previously cited data showing that violent crime in Chicago has declined in the last year, including homicides and robberies dipping by more than 30%, and shootings dropping by nearly 40%.
"The President’s threats are beneath the honor of our nation, but the reality is that he wants to occupy our city and break our Constitution," Johnson wrote on Saturday. "We must defend our democracy from this authoritarianism by protecting each other and protecting Chicago from Donald Trump."
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/democrats-slam-trump-war-threats-targeting-us-cities-not-your-war-zone