Executive Summary
The Story So Far
Why This Matters
Who Thinks What?
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker accused President Donald Trump of “abusing his power” on Saturday, following reports that the Pentagon had devised a plan to send thousands of National Guard troops to Chicago. Pritzker stated that Illinois had received no requests for federal assistance and called the potential deployment an attempt to “manufacture a crisis.”
Pritzker asserted via X that there was “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 emphasized that the safety of Illinois residents remained his top priority.
The governor directly accused Trump of “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.” Pritzker affirmed that Illinois would “continue to follow the law, stand up for the sovereignty of our state, and protect Illinoisans.”
Reported Federal Deployment Plans
The Washington Post first reported Saturday night that officials close to the situation indicated the Pentagon recently developed a military deployment plan for Chicago. This plan reportedly includes options for mobilizing a couple of thousand National Guard troops to the city.
This potential action would mirror President Trump’s earlier federalization of the Washington, D.C. police department and the deployment of 800 D.C. National Guard troops to combat crime. Similar deployments have also occurred in Los Angeles.
Prior Pushback from Pritzker
Pritzker had previously pushed back on Trump’s threats to target Chicago as part of the administration’s broader crackdown on crime. In an earlier social media post, Pritzker suggested that Trump and Republicans were using such actions to “create chaos that distracts from his problems.”
He further argued that Trump and Republicans were “trying to distract from the pain they’re causing — from tariffs raising the prices of goods to stripping away healthcare and food from millions.”
The escalating rhetoric between Governor Pritzker and President Trump highlights a growing political dispute over federal intervention in state affairs. The disagreement centers on issues of crime initiatives, state sovereignty, and the deployment of military personnel without state consent.
