Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has drawn a hard line against President Donald Trump, vowing that the state will resist any attempt to send National Guard troops into Chicago. The warning, issued in a post on Twitter Wednesday, escalates a bitter feud between Springfield and Washington over crime policy and federal power.
Unlike Donald Trump, we keep our promises. We will not stand idly by if he decides to send the National Guard to intimidate Chicagoans. Action will be met with a response.
— JB Pritzker (@JBPritzker) August 28, 2025
Trump has repeatedly floated the idea of extending his anti-crime initiative to Chicago, where he has lambasted both Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson, noted Fox News. On Tuesday, the president branded Pritzker an “incompetent” governor and Johnson “no better” in a Truth Social post, citing a bloody weekend that left six dead and 27 wounded. “Make Chicago Great Again!” Trump wrote, demanding local leaders request his help.
Pritzker rejected the charge, accusing Trump of “manufacturing a crisis” for political gain. He insisted Illinois faces no emergency that justifies federalizing the state’s Guard or deploying out-of-state forces. “There is no emergency that warrants the President of the United States federalizing the Illinois National Guard, deploying the National Guard from other states, or sending active duty military within our own borders,” he said Saturday.
By Monday, the governor’s rhetoric had sharpened further. He blasted the idea of federal deployment as “unconstitutional” and “un-American,” warning that Trump sought to “use the military to occupy a U.S. city, punish its dissidents and score political points.” He framed the threat as a “dangerous power grab.”
The standoff follows Trump’s decision earlier this month to seize control of Washington, D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department and flood the capital with National Guard troops. That move, while credited by the White House with slashing violent crime, has alarmed Illinois leaders who see Chicago as the next target.
Despite initial anger from liberals over the move to take control over Washington, on Wednesday, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser admitted that she was grateful for Donald Trump’s action.
“We greatly appreciate the surge of officers that enhance what MPD has been able to do in this city,” Bowser said. She emphasized the scale of the turnaround: “The difference between this period, this 20-day period of this federal surge, and last year represents a 87% reduction in carjackings in Washington, D.C.”
The turnaround is especially notable given Bowser’s initial opposition to Trump’s declaration of a “public safety emergency” on August 11. She had denounced the federal intervention as an affront to local autonomy, even reviving calls for D.C. statehood.
