Donald Trump has suggested that Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker should “beg” him for help in cracking down on crime in Chicago.
A reporter aboard Air Force One asked Trump on Monday if he had anything to say to the Democratic governor, as the two are locked in a fierce dispute over the administration’s attempts to deploy National Guard troops into Chicago.
“I think he should beg for help, because he’s running a bad operation, and he’s letting people be killed in his city,” Trump said. “I love Chicago. Chicago can be a great city again, and very quickly, I would have Chicago cleaned out and criminals removed.”

Trump cited his previous federal crackdown on crime in Washington, D.C.—which saw the National Guard and Marines assist with law enforcement as well as litter cleanup—claiming the capital has “never been so safe.”
“I can do the same thing but on a larger scale in Chicago. And Pritzker should ask me to do it,” Trump added.
Pritzker, 60, has accused Trump, 79, of “truly unconstitutional actions” as the president attempts to deploy National Guard troops into Chicago despite objections from the governor and other political leaders. Trump has openly called for Pritzker to be arrested. Around 200 Texas National Guard troops and 300 soldiers from the Illinois National Guard have been activated in the greater Chicago area, but are not currently on active duty.
A federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration from deploying the National Guard in Illinois, dismissing the president’s claim that the city is so overrun with crime that it amounts to a “war zone.”
Pritzker also blasted Trump and Vice President JD Vance’s calls for his arrest over highly dubious claims that he is failing to protect ICE officers during protests in Chicago.
“They’re making things up to go after people,” Pritzker told ABC News’ This Week. “I’m going to stand up for the people of my state. And we’ve got to all stand together because there are truly unconstitutional actions coming out of this administration, coming at the states and the people of the United States, and all of us, Democrats and Republicans, need to speak out about it.”

Elsewhere, Trump hinted to reporters on Air Force One that he is prepared to invoke the Insurrection Act—which allows the president to deploy the military on U.S. soil to tackle domestic unrest—to continue his hardline crackdown on Democratic-led cities.
“I can do that, and many presidents have. Fifteen percent of presidents have used the Insurrection Act because they don’t want to go through this stuff. But somebody said there’s no crime, and 4,000 people got shot,” Trump said.
The Insurrection Act has been invoked 30 times in U.S. history by 16 presidents. The last time it was used was by George H.W. Bush in response to the 1992 Los Angeles riots.
The Daily Beast has contacted Pritzker’s office for comment.
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