Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker criticized President Donald Trump after the president signaled that his administration would consider expanding federal anti-crime efforts to Chicago.
Pritzker’s remarks came in a series of posts on X, where he accused Trump and Republicans of trying to divert public attention from other issues, including tariffs.
“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,” Pritzker wrote.
He further alleged that Trump had previously “used Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. as his testing ground for authoritarian overreach,” and argued that Chicago could be next.
The governor charged that “Trump’s goal is to incite fear” and destabilize local public safety strategies, claiming the president was “playing a game and creating a spectacle for the press to play along with.”
Pritzker emphasized that his administration remained committed to state-level law enforcement partnerships.
“Our commitment to law and order is delivering results. Crime rates are improving. Homicides are down by more than 30% in Chicago in the last year alone. Our progress in lowering crime has been made possible with CIV programs that they’re defunding,” he said.
Pritzker also defended local police and community-based efforts, saying, “Our state and local law enforcement partners know our neighborhoods and our streets because they live here too. They’re not asking for this and we will continue to listen and coordinate with them, as we always do.”
President Trump made his comments Friday during an Oval Office announcement regarding the FIFA World Cup drawing.
In addition to discussing soccer, he addressed crime in major U.S. cities.
“And after we do this, we’ll go to another location, and we’ll make it safe also. We’re going to make our country very safe. We’re going to make our cities very, very safe,” Trump said.
“Chicago is a mess. You have an incompetent mayor, grossly incompetent.”
Trump indicated that Chicago could be the administration’s next target after Washington, D.C.
“We’ll straighten that one out, probably next. That’ll be our next one after this, and it won’t even be tough. And the people in Chicago, Mr. Vice President, are screaming for us to come. They’re wearing red hats just like this one,” he said.
The exchange reflects ongoing political disagreements between federal and state leaders over how to address urban crime.
Trump recently invoked Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, placing the Metropolitan Police Department under federal authority and mobilizing the National Guard.
Since that move, violent crime in Washington, D.C. has reportedly declined by 22 percent.
Axios noted that the Posse Comitatus Act generally bars the use of armed forces to enforce domestic law, except when authorized by Congress or the Constitution.
The administration has argued that its actions in the District fall under those exceptions, citing the Home Rule Act.
As Trump signals that federal intervention could expand to cities such as Chicago and New York, state leaders including Pritzker continue to push back, setting the stage for a broader confrontation over how crime should be addressed in America’s largest cities.
