By Gloria Ogbonna
Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker has strongly criticized President Donald Trump following remarks suggesting his administration would extend federal intervention efforts to address crime in Chicago and other major U.S. cities.
In a lengthy thread on X, Pritzker accused Trump and Republican leaders of attempting to divert public attention away from the economic hardships their policies have created.
The governor specifically pointed to tariffs that have raised consumer prices and cuts to healthcare and food assistance programs as examples of the “pain” inflicted on everyday Americans.
“Donald Trump attempts to create chaos that distracts from his problems, and we’ll call it out for what it is,” Pritzker wrote.
“Trump and Republicans are trying to distract from the pain they’re causing—from tariffs raising the prices of goods to stripping away healthcare and food from millions.”
The governor further warned that Trump’s recent actions in Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles—where he mobilized the National Guard and asserted greater federal control over law enforcement—were “testing grounds for authoritarian overreach.” According to Pritzker, Trump’s rhetoric about Chicago signals a dangerous willingness to expand those tactics into other states.
Trump’s remarks came during an Oval Office announcement related to the FIFA World Cup drawing. While addressing reporters, Trump declared that after his administration finished efforts to reduce crime in the nation’s capital, they would target other cities.
“Chicago is a mess,” Trump said. “You have an incompetent mayor, grossly incompetent. We’ll straighten that one out, probably next. That’ll be our next one after this, and it won’t even be tough. And the people in Chicago, Mr. Vice President, are screaming for us to come. They’re wearing red hats just like this one.”
Pritzker pushed back, framing Trump’s remarks as an effort to stir up fear and undermine existing progress in local crime reduction strategies. “Trump’s goal is to incite fear in communities, destabilize existing public safety efforts, and justify abusing his power,” the governor stated. “This is nothing more than a spectacle for the press to amplify.”
He added that Illinois has made significant strides in combating crime without federal interference. “Our commitment to law and order is delivering results. Crime rates are improving. Homicides are down by more than 30% in Chicago in the last year alone.
Our progress in lowering crime has been made possible with community violence intervention programs that they’re defunding.”
Pritzker emphasized that local law enforcement agencies are best equipped to handle public safety in their neighborhoods. “Our state and local law enforcement partners know our neighborhoods and our streets because they live here too.
They’re not asking for this, and we will continue to listen and coordinate with them, as we always do,” he added.
Trump’s intervention in Washington, D.C., has already raised legal and constitutional questions.
By invoking Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, Trump placed the Metropolitan Police Department under federal oversight while also mobilizing the National Guard. Reports indicate violent crime in D.C. has since dropped 22 percent, though critics argue that the move stretches presidential authority.
Axios noted that the Posse Comitatus Act generally prohibits the use of the military to enforce domestic laws, except when explicitly authorized by Congress or the Constitution.
Pritzker and other Democrats argue that Trump’s reliance on such measures is less about solving crime and more about consolidating power and projecting a law-and-order image ahead of elections.
Source Breitbart