Barack Obama condemned President Trump’s plan to deploy troops in Chicago, warning of threats to civil liberties, while Gov. JB Pritzker vowed to resist federal intervention.
Former President Barack Obama has criticized President Donald Trump’s plan to deploy National Guard troops in Chicago, warning that militarizing U.S. cities threatens civil liberties.
Trump has suggested sending armed guards to both New York and Chicago, citing rising crime. “The erosion of basic principles like due process and the expanding use of our military on domestic soil puts the liberties of all Americans at risk, and should concern democrats and republicans alike,” Obama wrote on X, attaching a New York Times op-ed.
Trump, however, insisted Democratic leaders have failed. “Governor Pritzker had 6 murders in Chicago this weekend. 20 people were shot. But he doesn’t want to ask me for help. Can this be possible?” he posted on Truth Social.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker rejected the president’s threat, saying: “Mr. President, do not come to Chicago. You are neither wanted here nor needed here.”
The Trump administration says over 1,000 arrests have been made in Washington, D.C., under a similar crackdown.