President Donald Trump warned Tuesday that Chicago will “die” unless Illinois’ Democratic leaders ask the federal government to intervene against violent crime, escalating his feud with Gov. J.B. Pritzker ahead of a planned visit to the area.
Trump issued the warning in an early-morning Truth Social post, claiming violence in Chicago remained “unchecked” and had reached record levels. He called on Pritzker or the city’s mayor to seek assistance from his administration.
“Chicago violence is unchecked and at record levels. It has never been worse!” Trump wrote. “This weekend 41 people were shot, 3 DEAD. These numbers are becoming normalized. It is out of control!”
The president argued that Chicago’s future would be in danger without assistance from Washington.
“The city will die if the Federal Government, a fine tuned crime fighting machine, is not invited in, by the Mayor or Governor, to HELP,” Trump wrote. “I am awaiting the call.”
Trump also said Chicago residents should not be forced to continue living under such conditions. He claimed his administration could reduce crime in the city quickly if state or local officials invited the federal government to step in.
“Like D.C. and others, they will have almost no crime, FAST!” Trump continued. “The State and City can’t do what I do. Governor Pritzker, CALL!!! President DONALD J. TRUMP.”
For nearly a year, Trump has demanded that Chicago allow National Guard troops to be deployed in the city to combat crime, as he has done in other American cities.
The administration’s policy has generated multiple court challenges and fueled an increasingly tense war of words between the president and local Democratic officials.
Trump’s message arrived only hours after Pritzker intensified his own criticism of the president ahead of Trump’s expected trip to the Chicago area later this month.
“He is neither wanted here nor needed here,” Pritzker said in a statement Monday.
The Democratic governor then challenged Trump to address the economic effects of his policies while visiting Illinois.
“But if he is going to spend time in DuPage County, he can leave the country club and explain to Illinoisans why his tariffs have made groceries, electricity, and everything else too damned expensive,” Pritzker said.
Trump announced over the weekend that the PGA TOUR had asked him to serve as honorary chairman of the Presidents Cup. The event is scheduled to begin Sept. 24 at Course No. 3 of the Medinah Country Club.
The honorary role is expected to bring Trump to the Chicago area, setting the stage for a potentially heated visit following months of public clashes between the White House and Illinois’ Democratic leadership.
Pritzker has become one of Trump’s most vocal Democratic opponents. Trump, meanwhile, has repeatedly focused his criticism on violent crime in cities controlled by Democrats and has argued that federal intervention offers the solution.
The latest exchange further heightened the confrontation, with Trump demanding a call for help and Pritzker insisting that the president is neither wanted nor needed in Illinois.
