Chicago Mayor Calls Trump’s National Guard Plan ‘Most Flagrant Violation of Our Constitution’
Chicago’s Democrat Mayor Brandon Johnson lashed out Sunday after President Donald Trump announced plans to deploy National Guard troops to the Windy City in a crackdown on violent crime.
“What the President is proposing would be the most flagrant violation of our Constitution in the 21st Century,” Johnson claimed in a post on X, calling the move a “military occupation.”
What the President is proposing would be the most flagrant violation of our Constitution in the 21st Century. The City of Chicago does not need a military occupation. https://t.co/nXi503owI9
— Mayor Brandon Johnson (@ChicagosMayor) August 24, 2025
Appearing on MSNBC, Johnson said, “We need to invest in people… that’s what I’ve done as mayor,” insisting Trump is trying to “divide in his attempt to conquer working families.”
But President Trump made clear Friday that Chicago would be next after his federal intervention in Washington, D.C., saying, “We’re going to make our country very safe… Chicago’s a mess.”
Johnson Fights Back After Trump Calls Him ‘Grossly Incompetent’
Johnson said Chicago had received no formal notification from the federal government and blasted Trump’s approach as “uncoordinated, uncalled-for and unsound.”
The mayor pushed back with handpicked crime statistics, claiming homicides are down 30%, robberies down 35%, and shootings down nearly 40% — ignoring that Chicago still ranks as one of the most violent cities in America.
In a statement, Johnson said he was working with Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle to “protect the people of Chicago from unconstitutional federal overreach.”
“No matter what happens, the City of Chicago will not waver. We are Chicago. We will not bend or cower, and we will never break,” Johnson said.
Mayor Brandon Johnson is having a fit because President Trump says he’ll deploy the National Guard to Chicago to save it like he did DC.
Johnson says crime is down. He rightly has the worst approval of any US mayor ever.
Chicago residents say, “We welcome the National Guard.” pic.twitter.com/3GbACfDFV3
— Paul A. Szypula ?? (@Bubblebathgirl) August 23, 2025
White House Fires Back: Focus On Crime, Not Politics
The Trump White House dismissed the Democrat mayor’s outrage.
“If Democrats spent half as much time solving their own city’s crime problems as they did criticizing the President for wanting to Make America Safe Again, their constituents would be much better off,” said White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson.
Background: Chicago’s Crime Crisis
While Johnson touts selective data, Illinois cities like Rockford, Peoria, and Danville have violent crime rates higher than Chicago — but that’s hardly a comfort to residents dodging bullets.
Chicago remains a hotbed of gang violence and poverty, with crime rates still well above the national average.
Trump already federalized the D.C. police earlier this month under the Home Rule Act and brought in 2,000 National Guard troops from six red states — alongside federal agents from the FBI, DEA, and ATF.
Chicago could be next.