President Donald Trump has claimed that Chicago residents are chanting 'bring in Trump' after a series of shootings in the city's downtown area over the weekend. The violence, which left a 14-year-old boy dead and eight other teenagers injured, has prompted Trump to again raise the prospect of sending federal troops to the city.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump blamed Governor JB Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson for refusing federal help, writing: 'The people are chanting, BRING IN TRUMP!!!' The comments come after two separate shootings broke out on Friday night during the city's annual tree lighting ceremony in Millennium Park.
Chicago's Second Ward Alderman Brian Hopkins reported that 300 teenagers had been 'rioting' in the Loop, with police officers attacked and injured using mace and stun guns. At least one officer was hospitalised. The victims, aged 13 to 17, mostly suffered leg wounds.
Mayor Johnson acknowledged that an additional 700 police officers had been deployed for the festivities but said 'clearly what we put in place did not do enough'. The incident follows the withdrawal of hundreds of Texas National Guard troops who had been stationed in Illinois since October as part of Trump's immigration enforcement efforts.
Trump has repeatedly clashed with Illinois officials, calling Chicago a 'hellhole' and suggesting Pritzker and Johnson should be in jail. Pritzker has sued to block federal troop deployments, branding Trump a 'wannabe dictator'. Meanwhile, Trump has also denied disaster aid to thousands of Chicago residents affected by summer storms, marking the first such refusal since at least 2007.
