President Donald Trump on Friday, August 22, 2025, suggested that Chicago could soon become the focus of his administration’s federal anti-crime initiative, following ongoing operations in Washington, D.C., and potentially extending later to New York City.
The president’s comments marked his most explicit statement yet about plans to expand his crime-fighting strategy beyond the nation’s capital. He also noted his willingness to deploy not only the National Guard but, if necessary, the “regular military” in Washington, a move that would significantly escalate the use of armed forces on U.S. soil.
“I really am honored that the National Guard has done such an incredible job working with the police,” Mr. Trump told reporters Friday. “And we haven’t had to bring in the regular military, which we’re willing to do if we have to. And after we do this, we’ll go to another location, and we’ll make it safe, also.”
Turning his attention to Chicago, the president criticized city leadership. “Chicago’s a mess,” he said. “You have an incompetent mayor, grossly incompetent. And we’ll straighten that one out probably next, that’ll be our next one after this.”
He claimed that residents were actively calling for federal intervention. “The people in Chicago” are “screaming for us to come,” he said. “They’re wearing red hats … African American ladies, beautiful ladies, are saying, ‘Please, President Trump, come to Chicago. Please.’ I did great with the Black vote, as you know. And they want something to happen, so, I think Chicago will be our next, and then we’ll help with New York.”
The president continued, “When we’re ready we’ll go in and we’ll straighten out Chicago, just like we did D.C.” He also suggested that San Francisco and other cities could be future targets for federal involvement.
Despite these remarks, the constitutional and legal path for such interventions outside Washington, D.C., remains unclear. Unlike the capital, where the federal government holds direct authority, state-controlled National Guard units answer to governors, not the president. Moreover, Mr. Trump has no authority to assume control of city police departments. Illinois, New York, and California—led by Democratic governors and mayors—are unlikely to support such measures.
The president made these statements from the Oval Office while also discussing preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. His comments highlight the tension between federal authority and state sovereignty, particularly given the constraints of the Posse Comitatus Act, which prohibits the use of active-duty military personnel in most domestic law enforcement roles unless expressly authorized by law.
