President Donald Trump said Friday that Chicago may be the next city to face a federal law enforcement and National Guard crackdown, following his administration’s intervention in Washington, DC. Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump suggested the campaign could be “longer and more intense” than the federal response in the nation’s capital.
“We’ll straighten that one out, probably next,” Trump said, referring to Chicago. “I think Chicago will be our next and then we’ll help with New York.”
His comments came after the administration took control of the DC Metropolitan Police Department earlier this month under provisions of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act that allow temporary federal oversight of city policing during emergencies.
National Guard Deployment in DC
More than 1,900 National Guard troops from multiple states have been mobilized in Washington, DC, according to Joint Task Force–DC. Trump has credited the move with helping reduce crime, pointing to a weeklong stretch without murders in the city, though such periods have occurred previously.
The president also indicated he could keep troops deployed indefinitely by declaring a national emergency. “I can keep them there as long as I want,” Trump said, a claim that legal experts say could raise constitutional questions about the limits of executive power.
Local Leaders Push Back
Chicago officials expressed concern about Trump’s remarks. Mayor Brandon Johnson said the city has not received formal communication from the administration about additional federal deployments.
“Certainly, we have grave concerns about the impact of any unlawful deployment of National Guard troops to the City of Chicago,” Johnson said in a statement. “The problem with the President’s approach is that it is uncoordinated, uncalled for, and unsound.”
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker also criticized the president’s comments, accusing him on X of using “Los Angeles and Washington, DC, as his testing ground for authoritarian overreach” and attempting to “incite fear in our communities.”
Crime Trends in Chicago and DC
Trump has framed his approach as a necessary intervention to reduce violent crime. However, Chicago officials noted that homicides, robberies and shootings have declined significantly in the past year. Similarly, violent crime in Washington, DC, fell in 2024 and 2025 after a spike in 2023, according to CNN reporting.
Despite these trends, Trump has maintained that residents in cities like Chicago want stronger federal action. He dismissed polling that showed most DC residents disapprove of the National Guard presence, calling it “fake news.”
“They’re wearing red hats, African American ladies, beautiful ladies, are saying, ‘Please, President Trump, come to Chicago,’” Trump said.
Questions Over Legal Authority
Legal experts note that the president’s power to control local police is limited. Under the Home Rule Act, federal control of DC’s police force can only last 30 days without congressional approval. Justice Department attorneys told a federal judge last week that Trump’s order to oversee the Metropolitan Police would expire unless extended by Congress.
Chicago, unlike Washington, DC, is under state jurisdiction, meaning a federal takeover of its police force would face legal and constitutional hurdles. Any deployment of the National Guard to Illinois would typically require the cooperation of Gov. Pritzker unless Trump invoked the Insurrection Act, a rarely used law that allows the president to deploy troops domestically under specific circumstances.
Next Steps
Trump has also indicated he will request $2 billion from Congress to fund public works projects in DC as part of what he described as “beautifying” the city. He said he had already spoken with House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune about the proposal.
It remains unclear how a federal crackdown in Chicago would operate or whether it would resemble the ongoing DC operation. For now, the White House has not issued a formal plan, and both state and local leaders say they will resist any unilateral federal deployment.