Trump revives threat to send National Guard to Chicago, calling Black-led city a ‘death trap’

President Donald Trump revived his threat to deploy the National Guard to Chicago, setting up a political and legal battle in the Democratic-controlled city and state of Illinois.

“I’m going to Chicago early,” Trump said at the White House on Tuesday as he left for the U.K. The president said of the majority-Black and brown city: “Chicago is a death trap.”

Trump had seemingly backed off his vow to send troops on the ground in the Windy City following a September 2 court ruling that his National Guard deployment in Los Angeles was illegal. Following the legal setback, Trump told reporters on September 3 that his administration was “making a determination” on whether he would follow through on his vow to send the Guard to Chicago, where, like in California, he faced strong opposition from Democrats.

Last week, President Trump announced that he would instead send the National Guard to Memphis. In the majority-Black city, he found cooperation with Republican Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and, like in D.C., with Memphis’ Democratic mayor.

Whether or not President Trump was second-guessing his plans in Chicago, he told reporters on Tuesday that the city is next up after Memphis.

“Over the last week and a half, 11 people in Chicago were killed, murdered, and 38 were shot. This is going on constantly. If they lose less than six or seven people a week, with murder, they’re doing a great job, in their opinion,” said Trump.

The president said he was taking the federal action “against” Democratic Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, adding, “Pritzker is nothing.”

“If Pritzker is smart, he’d say, ‘Please come in,’” said the president, who vowed, “I’m going to make it just like I did with D.C., just like I’ll do with Memphis.”

Trump’s plan to send the National Guard to Chicago will certainly be met with political and legal opposition from Gov. Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson. In fact, the day Trump made his remarks about the city, Mayor Johnson signed a “Right to Protest” executive order in preparation for what seemed to be the inevitable.

According to ABC 7 Chicago, the action orders the Chicago Police Department to protect Chicago citizens’ First Amendment rights “even in the face of interference from the federal government.” Chicago police are also ordered to “collaborate with protest organizers to develop an alternative plan” in the event federal law enforcement disrupts lawful protest activity.

In his ruling against Trump sending troops to Los Angeles, federal Judge Charles Breyer wrote in a 52-page opinion that, with the deployment of the National Guard, Trump was “creating a national police force with the president as its chief.”

Judge Breyer wrote that Trump’s use of the military was illegal and in violation of the Posse Comitatus Act, as that authority rests with the United States Congress, not the president of the United States.