Chicago mayor slams Trump’s plan to deploy Illinois National Guard as a ‘Flagrant violation of our Constitution’
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
OAN Staff Blake Wolf 11:08 AM – Sunday, August 24, 2025
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson slammed President Donald Trump’s “threat” to deploy the National Guard to Chicago, as the Trump administration seeks to expand its initiative to make major American cities safe.
President Trump suggested on Friday that Chicago may potentially see an introduction of the National Guard after a similar intervention in Washington, D.C., which was enacted to crack down on crime and homelessness.
“We’re going to make our cities very, very safe. Chicago is a mess. You have an incompetent mayor. Grossly incompetent,” Trump stated on Friday. “We’ll straighten the one out probably next. That will be our next one after [D.C.], and it won’t even be tough.”
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I am in tears. Trump has listened to the people in Chicago. He said he will bring the National Guard into Chicago after they are finished in DC
In response to Trump’s comments, Johnson slammed the proposed initiative as “uncoordinated, uncalled-for and unsound,” while noting that the city has not received any formal notice regarding imminent federal intervention.
“What the President is proposing would be the most flagrant violation of our Constitution in the 21st Century. The City of Chicago does not need a military occupation,” Johnson wrote in a Sunday X post.
“Unlawfully deploying the National Guard to Chicago has the potential to inflame tensions between residents and law enforcement when we know that trust between police and residents is foundational to building safer communities,” he added. “An unlawful deployment would be unsustainable and would threaten to undermine the historic progress we have made.”
What the President is proposing would be the most flagrant violation of our Constitution in the 21st Century. The City of Chicago does not need a military occupation. https://t.co/nXi503owI9
Although Chicago’s 2025 crime statistics show a decline in violent crime, the city’s crime rate remains above the national average, with violent gangs continuing to drive much of the problem.
According to the Washington Post, the Trump administration is reportedly planning a similar deployment to the one in Los Angeles in June, which saw the deployment of 4,000 National Guard members and 700 active-duty Marines sent to protect federal agents and property amid riots targeting the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Although the Illinois National Guard is under the authority of Democrat Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, President Trump can federalize and deploy the troops under Title 10, which allows the president to take control of the National Guard if there is a “rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the government.”
President Trump previously utilized Title 10 to federalize and deploy the National Guard and the Marines in California, stating that the troops were deployed to protect federal agents and property, as the law generally prohibits troops from engaging in law enforcement duties.
The president can also invoke the Insurrection Act to allow the deployment of active-duty troops, while also allowing deployed service members to engage in law enforcement duties.
Any federalization and deployment of the National Guard would almost certainly be challenged in the courts, as the previous deployment in California was challenged by California Governor Gavin Newsom.
U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer ruled that Trump’s order to deploy the National Guard to Los Angeles in June violated the law, however, his decision was suspended by a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
“The district court has no authority to usurp the President’s authority as Commander in Chief,” stated White House spokesperson Anna Kelly at the time.
“The President exercised his lawful authority to mobilize the National Guard to protect federal buildings and personnel in Gavin Newsom’s lawless Los Angeles. The Trump Administration will immediately appeal this abuse of power and looks forward to ultimate victory on the issue,” Kelly added.
Trump’s proposed plan to federalize the Illinois National Guard could be enacted as early as September, according to the Washington Post.
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