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Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) accused President Trump of “abusing his power” in the wake of a reported plan to send National Guard troops to Chicago, a move that would follow similar action in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.
“The State of Illinois at this time has received no requests or outreach from the federal government asking if we need assistance, and we have made no requests for federal intervention,” Pritzker said in a thread on the social platform X late Saturday.
“The safety of the people of Illinois is always my top priority. There is no emergency that warrants the President of the United States federalizing the @IL_Natl_Guard, deploying the National Guard from other states, or sending active duty military within our own borders,” he added.
“Donald Trump is attempting to manufacture a crisis, politicize Americans who serve in uniform, and continue abusing his power to distract from the pain he’s causing families,” the Prairie State governor continued.
The Washington Post first reported Saturday night that officials close to the situation told it that the Pentagon has recently devised a military deployment to Chicago. According to the Post, multiple options have come up in the preparation for the deployment, including a couple of thousand National Guard troops being soon mobilized to Chicago.
“We’ll continue to follow the law, stand up for the sovereignty of our state, and protect Illinoisans,” Pritzker said in his Saturday thread.
Earlier this month, President Trump federalized the Washington, D.C. police department and deployed 800 D.C. National Guard troops to fight crime.
On Friday, Pritzker pushed back on a threat from the president to target Chicago next as part of the Trump administration’s crackdown on crime.
“As Donald Trump attempts to create chaos that distracts from his problems, we’ll call it out for what it is,” Pritzker wrote in a prior thread on X. “Trump and Republicans are trying to distract from the pain they’re causing — from tariffs raising the prices of goods to stripping away healthcare and food from millions.”
