President Donald J. Trump on Monday reportedly lashed out at Chicago’s Democratic Mayor, Brandon Johnson, calling him “incompetent” and defending his decision to use federal power to combat crime in Washington, D.C., while signaling Chicago could soon be next.
“The incompetent Mayor of Chicago just stated that, in DC, where crime has been brought down to almost nothing, there have been no murders in 9 days, something which hasn’t happened in years, and people are safe again, only nine people have been arrested,” Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social. “That is wrong, hundreds of criminals have been held, captured, and arrested, and their guns have been taken away. DC IS SAFE AND BOOMING!!!”
Mr. Trump’s remarks came as the White House released updated figures underscoring the scale of law enforcement activity in the nation’s capital.
Since federal officers were deployed on August 7, more than 910 arrests have been made and 101 firearms seized. On Saturday night alone, according to the White House, there were 93 arrests and six illegal firearms confiscated.
The numbers stand in sharp contrast to Mr. Johnson’s dismissive tone. The Chicago mayor on Sunday vowed his city would “not bend or cower” in the face of Mr. Trump’s threats to extend the federal crackdown beyond Washington.
He specifically cited Baltimore and Chicago, two large cities with Democratic leadership, as potential next targets.
Mr. Johnson insisted he was in “active communication” with state and local counterparts “as we prepare for any potential unconstitutional military deployments to Chicago.”
But the mayor’s rhetoric highlighted what conservatives see as the ongoing refusal of Democratic leaders to acknowledge the reality of urban crime.
Mr. Trump, meanwhile, pointed to Washington as proof of what can be achieved when federal resources are applied. He has repeatedly described the district as “safe again,” boasting that, under his initiative, long-suffering residents are finally experiencing security in neighborhoods once plagued by violence.
Far-left critics like Mr. Johnson accuse the president of overreach, while Mr. Trump has countered that public safety is not optional. “I think Chicago will be … next,” he told reporters on Friday, making clear that he sees Chicago as emblematic of cities where Democratic leadership has failed to protect residents.
The Washington Post reported that the Pentagon has been planning for weeks to prepare a military deployment to Chicago, a sign that discussions are no longer hypothetical.
For Mr. Trump, the issue is both political and personal: he has long railed against lawlessness in America’s major cities and has argued that federal authority must be used when local officials cannot—or will not—act.
The contrast could not be sharper. On one side, a president pointing to hundreds of arrests and dozens of illegal weapons removed from the streets of Washington as evidence of success.
On the other, a Democratic mayor preparing to resist the very measures that have demonstrably curbed crime elsewhere.
For conservatives, the question is straightforward: if D.C. can become “SAFE AND BOOMING!!!” in the words of Mr. Trump, why should Chicago not benefit from the same?
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