Trump Shushes Reporter Over Question About ‘Going To War’ With Chicago
President Donald Trump shut down an NBC reporter Sunday after she suggested his administration was preparing to “go to war” with the city of Chicago. The exchange came after Trump posted a meme to Truth Social that read: “I love the smell of deportations in the morning… Chicago about to find out why it’s called the Department of WAR.”
.@POTUS BODIES @Yamiche for asking if we’re “going to war with Chicago”:
“You never listen. That’s why you’re second-rate. We’re not going to war. We’re going to clean up our cities… so they don’t kill five people every weekend. That’s not war. That’s common sense.” ? pic.twitter.com/SJluB8lbyX
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) September 7, 2025
As Trump was departing the White House for the U.S. Open finals, NBC’s Yamiche Alcindor pressed him: “Are you trying to go to war with Chicago?”
Trump immediately pushed back. “When you say that, darling, that’s fake news,” he said.
Alcindor attempted to continue, but Trump cut her off. “I don’t go to war with—listen. Be quiet, listen!” he snapped. “You don’t listen! You never listen. That’s why you’re second-rate.”
“We’re not going to war, we’re gonna clean up our cities,” Trump continued. “We’re gonna clean them up, so they don’t kill five people every weekend. That’s not war, that’s common sense.”
Trump then turned his attention to the staggering violence plaguing the Windy City. “You know how many people were killed in Chicago last weekend? Eight. You know how many people were killed in Chicago the week before? Seven… 74 people were wounded. You think there’s worse than that?”
.@POTUS goes off on the Fake News for downplaying crime in Chicago: “You know how many people were killed in Chicago last weekend? Eight. You know how many people were killed in Chicago the week before? Seven… 74 people were wounded. You think there’s worse than that?” pic.twitter.com/xNLcKWncs4
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) September 7, 2025
Trump has previously said he would deploy the National Guard to crime-ridden cities like Chicago, New York, and Philadelphia if local leaders failed to restore order. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker have resisted federal intervention, claiming the city is on the mend.
But Trump has remained unmoved. “These radical mayors care more about their woke image than about stopping crime. That’s why we’re taking matters into our own hands,” he said earlier this month.
The president’s meme referencing “deportations” and the newly renamed “Department of War” follows a larger rebranding campaign aimed at signaling a return to “decisive strength,” as both Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth have repeatedly said.