(NewsNation) — President Donald Trump said Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker should be in jail as tensions rise over the president’s threats to deploy National Guard troops in the city.
Trump made his comments on social media Wednesday, a day after troops began to arrive in the greater Chicago area.
Illinois has sued to block the deployment, and arguments in the case are scheduled for tomorrow. However, a judge did not grant the state’s request for a temporary restraining order against the deployment.
Chicago mayor says Trump’s troop deployment is about power, not safety
Pritzker responded, saying masked agents are already in the streets, creating fear in the community.
“I will not back down. Trump is now calling for the arrest of elected representatives checking his power. What else is left on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?” he said.
Trump has doubled down on his use of the National Guard in recent days, insisting he is helping cities and that the troops are needed in Democratic-run cities he has described as crime-ridden.
However, local officials have not asked for help — and leaders in Chicago have pointed to data showing crime is declining.
GOP senators increasingly anxious about Trump’s aggressive use of National Guard
Judges have also ruled against Trump, finding the use of troops violated the Posse Comitatus Act.
As Chicago and other cities push back against the president, he has suggested he could invoke the little-used Insurrection Act to justify the use of troops
