Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker Pushes Back Against Potential National Guard Deployment in Chicago

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, joined by Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and other elected officials, spoke out Monday against Trump’s proposed deployment of National Guard troops in Chicago.

Flanked by both U.S. senators representing Illinois, Mayor Johnson, the state’s attorney general, and local community members, Pritzker pushed back against the potential use of the military in America’s third-most-populous city, an idea Trump has floated to combat crime in the municipality. Speaking near the Chicago River outside the River Point office tower in the city’s West Loop, Pritzker stated “We do not want troops on the streets of the city of Chicago”, and indicated he had not been contacted by Trump or any representatives from the White House regarding the potential deployment.

“There is not an emergency in the city of Chicago, there is nothing that calls for having troops on the streets of the city of Chicago” Pritzker stated, adding “the President of the United States is doing this for theatrics” in response to a question during the afternoon press conference.

“The way we address the fear is that we stand firm together. That’s why you have this full display today that we are gonna have the backs of working people across this city, and that any attempt to intimidate our people from being able to live their lives - that is the quintessential example of terrorism, and we will not bend, break, or bow to that type of tyranny” Mayor Johnson said during a question-and-answer session with the media following speakers’ remarks at the press conference.

Watch video of Governor Pritzker and Mayor Johnson taking questions regarding the potential deployment of the National Guard in Chicago here: