OAN Staff Abril Elfi
12:09 PM – Tuesday, September 2, 2025
At least 54 people were shot in Chicago over Labor Day weekend, with eight being fatal, just days after the city’s mayor warned President Donald Trump against deploying additional police or National Guard forces to the city.
Authorities reported that the 54 shootings occurred in 37 incidents, which ended “in most [cases], with no suspect in custody,” according to AP News.
Officials stated that the victims of the fatal shootings include at least two women and three men, as well as two others. The names of the deceased have not yet been publicly released.
Even though President Trump has expressed a desire to deploy the National Guard to the city due to rising crime, the mayor has adamantly rejected his offer of federal assistance.
Additionally, on Saturday, Mayor Brandon Johnson (D-Ill.) signed an executive order prohibiting local police from working with their federal counterparts.
“This executive order makes it emphatically clear that this president is not going to come in and deputize our police department,” Johnson said at a news conference with other city leaders.
The mayor’s directive states that Chicago police officers will continue to follow state and local laws, but they will not collaborate with the National Guard or federal authorities on patrols, arrests, immigration enforcement, or other law enforcement activities.
“We will protect our Constitution, we will protect our city, and we will protect our people,” he said. “We do not want to see tanks in our streets. We do not want to see families ripped apart. We do not want grandmothers thrown into the back of unmarked vans. We don’t want to see homeless Chicagoans harassed or disappeared by federal agents.”
On Tuesday, Trump posted on Truth Social, asserting that if given the chance, he could put an end to the city’s crime problem.
“At least 54 people were shot in Chicago over the weekend, 8 people were killed… Pritzker needs help badly, he just doesn’t know it yet. I will solve the crime problem fast, just like I did in DC. Chicago will be safe again, & soon. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” – President Trump
In relation to the holiday weekend crime, even left-leaning MSNBC host Joe Scarborough urged Governor JB Pritzker (D-Ill.) to “partner up” with President Trump, saying “radical” moves were needed in the wake of the bloody Labor Day weekend. However, he also argued that the 47th president didn’t have the Constitutional authority to bring more backup to the city, so the two men should agree to work together.
“I actually think that JB Pritzker should do something radical. I think he should pick up the phone, call the president and say, ‘You know and I know you don’t have the constitutional authority to deploy the National Guard here. You can do that in DC. You can’t do that in Chicago. But let’s partner up,’” Scarborough said Tuesday on his “Morning Joe” show.
Stay informed! Receive breaking news alerts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts
What do YOU think? Click here to jump to the comments!Sponsored Content Below