President Donald Trump announced on Friday that his administration plans to focus its crime-fighting efforts on Chicago next, approximately two weeks after assuming command of Washington, D.C.’s police department.
“Once this is complete, we will move to another area and secure it as well,” Trump informed reporters. “Chicago is in disarray. Its mayor is incompetent, profoundly so, and we will address that situation, likely next.”
The President stated he had not yet communicated with Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson regarding his intentions, but confirmed his administration would proceed with the action “when we are prepared.”
“Chicago poses significant dangers,” Trump remarked. “I am disheartened by the state of Chicago.”
Trump has for years frequently condemned crime in Chicago, once labeling the city “a shooting disaster.” During his 2016 presidential campaign, Trump posted on social media: “Crime is out of control and rapidly worsening. Look at what is happening in Chicago and our inner cities. Not good!” In 2020, during his initial term, Trump deployed federal agents to the city with the aim of “helping to curb violent crime.”
That deployment formed part of a wider program initiated by the Justice Department that summer, sending federal agents to numerous cities to confront what Trump then referred to as “a shocking explosion of shootings, killings, murders, and heinous crimes of violence.” Much like Trump’s recent assumption of control in D.C., this controversial program raised apprehension among local officials and community members. It was discontinued after Trump’s departure from office in 2021.
Numerous cities across the country witnessed a rise in violent crime in 2020, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. In Chicago, fatal and nonfatal shootings climbed by approximately 55% in 2020 when compared to 2019, according to city data. Shootings in the city then increased again in 2021, though by only 9%, before decreasing sharply by nearly 21% the subsequent year.
Violent crime also rose in the city prior to Trump’s first term. From 2015 to 2016, the city experienced a 58% increase in homicides and a 43% rise in nonfatal shootings, according to city data.
Nevertheless, the ensuing years experienced a decrease in gun violence before rates ascended again early in the pandemic. Moreover, crime in Chicago has fallen by 15% since 2023, according to city police statistics published earlier this month. City data also reveals that fatal and nonfatal shootings have decreased by almost 38% so far this year compared to the same period in 2024. Concurrently, homicides and robberies have both declined by roughly 32%, and vehicular hijackings are down approximately 49%.
Trump’s statements on Friday follow his assumption of control over D.C.’s police department and the deployment of National Guard troops to the streets on August 11, citing violent crime—even though data indicated that violent crime in the nation’s capital, similar to Chicago, had already been declining. When publicizing the move, the President stated he would “consider other cities” too, including Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Baltimore, and Oakland.
During his robust action in the capital, Trump invoked a provision of the law that empowers the President to assume control of D.C.’s police department in “conditions of an emergency nature.” Nevertheless, legal experts argue that Trump’s authority to take over local police departments and deploy National Guard troops to cities other than D.C. is substantially limited by statute.
Johnson sharply criticized Trump’s comments on Friday. The mayor asserted in a press release that the city has made “historic progress” in addressing crime, citing recent statistics, and argued that deploying the National Guard to Chicago would risk undermining that progress. Johnson added that while the city was taking Trump’s statements seriously, it had received no formal communication from the federal government on this topic.
“The issue with the President’s strategy is that it is uncoordinated, unwarranted, and ill-conceived,” Johnson declared. “Unlawfully deploying the National Guard to Chicago carries the potential to heighten tensions between residents and law enforcement, especially when we recognize that trust between police and residents is foundational to fostering safer communities.”