Donald Trump Backs Down After Backlash Over National Guard Threat in Chicago
After days of mounting outrage, former President Donald Trump appears to be walking back his controversial threat to send the National Guard into Chicago—a move critics had described as unconstitutional and authoritarian.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump downplayed the idea:
“I was telling some of the people that in a certain way you really want to be asked to go. I hate to barge in on a city and then be treated horribly by corrupt politicians and bad politicians,” he said.
“I don’t like going to a town, city, place, a state, and then be criticized by some corrupt or incompetent governor where crime is rampant.”
This shift comes just days after CNN revealed leaked reports that Trump had been planning for weeks to deploy troops to Chicago, in a move similar to his military presence in Washington D.C. Critics argue that Trump’s push for a “law and order” narrative is less about crime and more about distracting the public from scandals—including his ties to Jeffrey Epstein and the fallout from his trade policies.
Chicago Pushes Back
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson strongly condemned Trump’s original plan, calling it both “unlawful” and “uncalled for.”
“There are many things the federal government could do to help us reduce crime and violence in Chicago, but sending in the military is not one of them,” Johnson said.
Trump’s “Dictator” Comment Raises Eyebrows
During the same remarks, Trump also made a statement that alarmed many observers:
“As you all know Chicago is a killing field right now and they don’t acknowledge it and they say ‘We don’t need him. Freedom! Freedom! He’s a dictator! He’s a dictator.’ Lot of people are saying maybe we’d like a dictator. I don’t like a dictator. I’m not a dictator. I’m a man with great common sense and a smart person.”
While he insisted he does not want to be a dictator, Trump’s suggestion that “a lot of people” might welcome one has fueled fears that he harbors authoritarian ambitions.
Why This Matters
Even though Trump is now hesitating on his Chicago deployment plan, his history of flip-flopping means he could still revisit the idea. Critics say his statements reflect a pattern of testing public reaction to extreme policies and then adjusting course when backlash is too strong.
For many Americans, this episode is a reminder that public pressure works—and that vigilance is key to ensuring that military force is not misused against U.S. citizens.
👉 Key Takeaway: Trump’s retreat on the Chicago National Guard threat shows the power of public backlash. But his rhetoric about dictatorship makes clear that concerns about his authoritarian tendencies are far from over.
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