SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — President Donald Trump called for the governor of Illinois and the mayor of Chicago to be thrown in jail Wednesday for failing to protect ICE officers. The controversial Truth Social post comes as Trump considers invoking the Insurrection Act to overrule courts and governors.
"Look, he's a coward. He says a lot of things to the camera," Gov. JB Pritzker said. "He likes to pretend to be a tough guy. Come and get me."
The White House said Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson have blood on their hands, as the president claims they have stood idly by while innocent Americans fall victim to violent crime time and time again.
Trump told reporters Tuesday that Chicago is a great city dealing with a lot of crime, and that he will enforce law and order if Democratic leaders cannot do the job.
"They probably had 50 murders in Chicago over the last five, six, or seven months," Trump said. "Many people were shot. Then, the governor gets up and says we can handle it. They can't handle it. They don't know what they're doing."
Pritzker said he will not back down, noting Trump's masked agents have grabbed people off the street and separated children from their families. The governor asked followers on social media what else is left on the path to full-blown authoritarianism.
"This isn't just about undocumented people," Pritzker said. "I mean, U.S. citizens who are brown or Black are being stopped only for that reason and asked for identification that proves that they're a U.S. citizen."
Trump has mentioned several times that he may invoke the 1807 Insurrection Act to federalize troops in Chicago and Portland. The law allows the president to mobilize the military for civil law enforcement activity.
"The mayor is grossly incompetent," Trump said. "He's at a 4% approval rating in Chicago. He's at 4%, lowest approval rating, lower than de Blasio had, which is hard to believe in New York."
Yet, an August poll showed Johnson's approval rating at 26%. Johnson said Trump and other Republican leaders are lying about crime in Chicago, as the city had the fewest amount of homicides since 1965 this summer.
"This president has intentionally worked to escalate violence in the city of Chicago and cities across America," Johnson said. "We're just simply defending our fundamental right to our democracy. This president has made it very clear he doesn't support this constitution."
Several hundred Texas National Guard troops are stationed in Will County right now, but their exact mission details are not clear. The Trump administration has until midnight to respond to the Illinois lawsuit attempting to block more troops from heading into the state.
The Illinois Attorney General's office and the Trump administration are scheduled to be back in court Thursday.
More Statehouse Coverage:
Pritzker 'not afraid' to stand up against Trump amid National Guard deployment to Illinois
Copyright 2025. WAND TV. All rights reserved.
