Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker slammed President Donald Trump for planning to bring National Guard troops to Chicago while defunding state and local law enforcement.
During a press conference Monday, the Democratic lawmaker said that Trump’s plan to replicate his takeover of Washington D.C., and bring federal forces to the Midwest wasn’t a response to rising crime.
“Crime is dropping in Chicago. Murders are down 32 percent compared to last year, and nearly cut in half since 2021. Shootings are down 37 percent since last year, and 57 percent from four years ago,” Pritzker said, adding that property crimes in Chicago had also decreased in the last year.
“So, in case there was any doubt as to the motivation behind Trump’s military occupations, take note. Thirteen of the top 20 cities in homicide rate have Republican governors. None of these cities is Chicago,” Pritzker said. “Eight of the top ten states with the highest homicide rates are led by Republicans. None of those states is Illinois.”
The governor continued, pointing out that cities in Tennessee and Mississippi have higher crime rates than Chicago. “And yet Donald Trump is sending troops here? And not there? Ask yourself why,” he said.
Pritzker accused the president and Republicans of cutting more than $800 million in public safety and crime prevention grants nationally. He added that Trump had cut $158 million in funding to Illinois for violence prevention programs, $71 million for law enforcement grants, and $137 million for child protection measures.
“Trump is defunding the police,” Pritzker said.
While speaking to reporters earlier Monday, the president balked when asked whether he would consider sending National Guard troops to Republican-led cities and states that experience high rates of crime. In Newsweek’s recent list of the 30 U.S. cities (with at least 100,000 residents) that had the highest number of violent crimes against people, more than half of those cities were in states led by Republican governors.
Pritzker told Trump to stay out of Chicago. “You are neither wanted here, nor needed here. Your remarks about this effort over the last several weeks have betrayed a continuing slip in your mental faculties, and are not fit for the auspicious office that you occupy,” he said.
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