Trump: Chicago "Will Die" Without Federal Troops

President Trump warned Tuesday that Chicago "will die" unless Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker or Mayor Brandon Johnson invite federal forces into the city to fight crime.

In an early-morning Truth Social post, Trump said the city's violence is "unchecked and at record levels" and demanded a phone call from the governor. Neither Pritzker nor Johnson has asked for federal help.

The post followed a weekend in which 41 people were shot in Chicago, three of them fatally, according to the New York Post. Fifteen were struck by masked gunmen during a celebration in the Washington Park neighborhood — the city's largest mass shooting of the year.

What Trump Said

"Chicago violence is unchecked and at record levels. It has never been worse," Trump wrote. "This weekend 41 people were shot, 3 DEAD. These numbers are becoming normalized. It is out of control!"

He went on: "The city will die if the Federal Government, a fine tuned crime fighting machine, is not invited in, by the Mayor or Governor to HELP. I am awaiting the call."

Trump claimed Chicago would see "no crime" under a crackdown like the one his administration ran in Washington, D.C., and said residents should not be "forced to live under these conditions." He closed with: "The State and City can't do what I do. Governor Pritzker, CALL!!!"

The Numbers

Chicago has recorded 1,255 gun violence victims in 2026, up almost 1% from the same point last year, according to city data cited by the New York Post.

Shooting victims are up 0.7% between Jan. 1 and Aug. 29 compared with the same stretch of 2025.

The Post reported 254 people killed, an 11.4% rise over the same period in 2025, and homicide victims up 2.9%, from 280 to 288.