U.S. President Donald Trump threatened military intervention in the city of Chicago to combat crime, declaring in a post on his Truth Social platform that Chicago “is about to learn why the Department’s name was changed to the Department of War.”
On Friday, Trump signed an executive order renaming the Department of Defence to the “Department of War,” claiming the change sends a “message of victory” to the world.
Trump had previously deployed National Guard forces in Washington, D.C., alongside federal agencies tasked with carrying out arrests and deportations—moves that sparked anger among residents.
The Governor of Illinois, where Chicago is located, expressed outrage at Trump’s statement: “The President of the United States is threatening to go to war with an American city. This is not a joke. This is not normal.”
He added: “Illinois will not submit to the intimidation of someone who aspires to be a dictator.”
Trump had earlier ordered the deployment of thousands of National Guard and Marine troops in Los Angeles in June to assist police in suppressing protests and unrest triggered by his campaign against undocumented immigration.
He also deployed the National Guard in Washington, D.C., in August, saying the move had “strengthened security” in the capital.
Both actions faced lawsuits and fueled protests. Critics described the military deployments inside U.S. cities as a blatant show of force.
The Republican president has repeatedly threatened to send thousands of troops into Democratic strongholds such as Chicago and Baltimore, which he claims suffer from high crime rates due to the presence of large numbers of undocumented migrants.
On Saturday, the U.S. capital—where National Guard forces have been stationed since Trump declared a “state of emergency to combat crime” in August—witnessed a mass protest demanding an end to the “occupation.”
Several thousand demonstrators joined the march under the banner “We Are All the Capital,” calling for the removal of National Guard troops patrolling the streets on Trump’s orders.
Among the participants were undocumented migrants and pro-Palestinian activists, who chanted slogans condemning Trump and carried signs reading: “Trump Must Go Now,” “Free the Capital,” and “Resist Tyranny.”
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