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President Donald Trump on Saturday gave presumably his strongest trace but that he might deploy federal troops to Chicago by posting a parody meme of himself as a commander at battle with Chicago. The put up drew a swift rebuke from Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and different officers who mentioned it amounted to a risk.
Within the picture, Trump, recognized to impress his opponents together with his savvy use of social media, is styled as Robert Duvall’s character in “Apocalypse Now,” a Vietnam Warfare epic a couple of embellished U.S. officer who has gone rogue deep within the Cambodian jungle.
“I really like the odor of deportations within the morning…” Trump wrote above the picture, a play on the well-known quote from the hit 1979 movie.
“Chicago is about to seek out out why it’s known as the Division of WAR,” he wrote, adopted by three helicopter emoji. It got here a day after he signed an govt order altering the Protection Division’s identify to the Division of Warfare.
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Trump shared a digitally altered meme depicting himself as a commander “at battle” with Chicago, drawing backlash from Illinois leaders. (President Donald Trump by way of Fact Social)
The put up appeared aimed toward scary Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, who’ve each strongly opposed Trump’s threats to activate the Nationwide Guard within the Windy Metropolis to clamp down on crime and assist improve immigration enforcement efforts.
Within the picture, Trump is wearing army fatigues resembling Duvall’s character, Lt. Col. Invoice Kilgore, a flamboyant and fearless air cavalry officer who leads a helicopter air assault on a Vietnamese village.
Helicopters fly over the Chicago skyline in a fiery background, evoking Vietnam Warfare scenes.
The textual content “Chipocalypse Now” is scrawled on the underside of the picture, a riff on “Apocalypse Now,” with “Chi” referring to Chicago.
Trump’s goading appeared to work. Inside an hour, Pritzker shot again, with Johnson additionally weighing in.
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President Trump on Saturday gave presumably his strongest trace but that he might deploy federal troops to Chicago by posting a parody meme of himself as a commander at battle with Chicago (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Photos)
“The President of the USA is threatening to go to battle with an American metropolis,” Pritzker wrote on X “This isn’t a joke. This isn’t regular. Donald Trump is not a strongman, he is a scared man. Illinois received’t be intimidated by a wannabe dictator.”
Johnson conveyed related phrases of warning.
“The President’s threats are beneath the distinction of our nation, however the actuality is that he needs to occupy our metropolis and break our Structure,” Johnson wrote. “We should defend our democracy from this authoritarianism by defending one another and defending Chicago from Donald Trump.”
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker speaks throughout a press convention amid stories of potential federal deployments to Chicago Sept. 2, 2025. (Kamil Krazaczynski/AFP by way of Getty Photos)
One other outspoken Trump critic, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Unwell., additionally decried the put up on Saturday throughout remarks earlier than a parade in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood.
“This tweet this morning was disgusting to recommend that the troops are coming into Chicago or that the Division of Warfare goes to be engaged is a humiliation,” Durban mentioned, in keeping with Fox 32 Chicago.
Trump has repeatedly floated the thought of deploying the Nationwide Guard in Chicago, replicating operations in Washington, D.C., which has additionally seen the federal authorities take management of the native police.
Nationwide Guard models despatched with out state approval are typically restricted to defending federal property and personnel. When Guard troops have been deployed to Los Angeles in June over anti-U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement protests, they have been confined to federal buildings and escort duties for immigration brokers. In Washington, D.C., which is beneath federal jurisdiction, Guard models have carried out armed patrols alongside native police.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (Getty Picture/ Kamil Krazaczynski)
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Chicago recorded 573 homicides in 2024, marking the thirteenth straight yr Chicago has led the nation in whole murders, in keeping with Chicago Police Division knowledge compiled by Wirepoints.
In response to the Council on Prison Justice’s year-end 2024 replace, aggravated assaults declined by 4% in comparison with 2023 however remained 4% increased than in 2019. The council reported that gun assaults fell 15%, although they have been nonetheless 5% above 2019 ranges, and that carjackings dropped 32% year-over-year, but have been 25% increased than in 2019.
