Washington, DC [US], June 23 (ANI): US President Donald Trump has renewed his call for federal military intervention in Chicago after at least 24 shooting incidents across the city since Friday evening.
“At least 39 people injured, 4 dead, in Chicago weekend shootings,” the President stated on his Truth Social account on Tuesday, addressing Illinois Governor JB Pritzker second time after Sunday.
“Governor Pritzker, I, as President, can fix this, FAST and permanently. D.C., Memphis, New Orleans, all down to record lows, and quickly! CALL ME!”
This follows a similar appeal from Trump on Sunday, where he questioned why the Governor had not reached out, asserting, “I could make Chicago a safe city in ONE MONTH. In ONE YEAR, it would be one of the safest!!!”
Governor Pritzker responded to the President’s remarks, initially ridiculing Trump over the maintenance of the Washington Monument’s Reflecting Pool and his oversight of the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
“I don’t think that we should be listening to this President about promises that he makes or that he has any idea how to protect us in the state of Illinois,” Pritzker said.
“I am deeply concerned about making sure that we are keeping the people of Illinois safe, and we’ve had some terrible tragedies that have occurred. It’s why I have asked for help from the FBI, the DEA, the ATF, because going after guns and drugs and gangs is something that concerns me, just as it does local residents who are affected by those factors.
“So I wish that he would stop tweeting or, I guess, Truth Social-ing, and instead actually help us with the things that we really need.”
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson also pushed back against the President on X: “Trump has worked overtime to defund the agencies and programmes that actually build safer communities.”
“Whether it’s by defunding the ATF, the federal agency tasked with getting illegal weapons off our streets, stripping our community violence intervention partners of their funding, or starting illegal wars that send prices skyrocketing, Trump has completely betrayed his promise to working Americans and is making all of our lives less safe.”
The Chicago Police Department (CPD) documented at least 24 shooting incidents beginning on Friday evening.
This included a mass shooting in which two assailants fired from an SUV, wounding 12 individuals. Those victims, eight men and four women aged between 17 and 47, were transported to various hospitals, while another person declined medical assistance.
The violence took place during local observances of Juneteenth, which commemorates the end of slavery in the United States.
Over the past year, Trump has demonstrated a readiness to deploy federal assets, such as the National Guard and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), to Democrat-led cities to address crime, frequently drawing opposition from local officials and sparking public protests.
The previous deployment of federal immigration agents to Chicago resulted in confrontational clashes, contributing to the Governor’s apparent hesitation to cooperate with the President during the current situation. (ANI)
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