--- title: 'We’re Going to Do It Anyway': Trump Sending Guard to Chicago description: Trump said he will deploy the National Guard to Chicago and other cities, despite pushback from locals 'We're going in," he said. "I didn't say when." canonical: https://time.com/7314045/trump-announcement-chicago-baltimore-national-guard/ author: Brian Bennett article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2025-09-02T20:34:45.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-19T08:10:36.720Z article:section: Politics og:title: 'We’re Going to Do It Anyway': Trump Sending Guard to Chicago og:description: “We’re going in,” Trump said. “I didn’t say when.” og:url: https://time.com/7314045/trump-announcement-chicago-baltimore-national-guard/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte81ab1840691b2a4/6998c97883ec374acdc7ae60/GettyImages-2233412568.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: President Trump Makes Announcement In The Oval Office Of The White House og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 'We’re Going to Do It Anyway': Trump Sending Guard to Chicago twitter:description: “We’re going in,” Trump said. “I didn’t say when.” twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte81ab1840691b2a4/6998c97883ec374acdc7ae60/GettyImages-2233412568.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 video:duration: 03:06 video:published: 2025-09-02 section: politics topics: National Guard deployment, Chicago crime, Baltimore, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Governor Pritzker, Gavin Newsom, federal intervention, homicide statistics, Los Angeles Olympics, law enforcement genre: news interview, political remarks tones: combative, critical, assertive, dismissive emotions: anger (medium), contempt (high), pride (medium) sentiment: negative audience: political news followers, general news readers, policy watchers, residents of affected cities people: Donald Trump, JB Pritzker, Gavin Newsom organizations: National Guard content_suitability: violence [00:13-00:41]; death [00:58-01:04]; crime [02:37-03:06]; politics [00:00-03:06] transcript_source: publisher captions transcript_reviewed: not applicable ---  # 'We’re Going to Do It Anyway': Trump Says He Intends to Deploy National Guard to Chicago > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=3966eef6-022a-4822-a5a3-a64c7c24c35c&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: ‘We’re Going to Do It Anyway’: Trump Says He Intends to Deploy National Guard to Chicago [Watch (HLS stream): ‘We’re Going to Do It Anyway’: Trump Says He Intends to Deploy National Guard to Chicago](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/025cIkAT.m3u8) (3:06)  _Published 2025-09-02. President Donald Trump said Tuesday he will send federal intervention to Chicago and Baltimore, calling the cities "a hellhole."_ Description, summary, key points, chapters, key quotes, questions and transcript, where present, were produced automatically from the video or its captions and were not reviewed. ## Summary The video presents remarks in which President Trump responds to a question about sending National Guard troops to Chicago. He cites recent shooting and murder figures in Chicago, criticizes Illinois Governor Pritzker and California Governor Newsom, and describes Chicago and Baltimore as hellholes. He credits the National Guard deployment in Los Angeles and the Washington, D.C. effort as a template for other cities. He also invites the Illinois governor to call for help and makes sweeping claims about criminals. ## Key points - Trump says he did not specify when, but the answer on sending National Guard troops to Chicago is yes: 'we're going in.' (00:04) - He cites recent Chicago violence: six murdered and 24 shot two weeks ago, then seven dead and 24 shot last week, then about nine or ten killed and 50 shot over two days. (00:13) - He claims Illinois's governor has lost almost 20 people killed in three weeks while saying no protection is needed. (00:58) - Trump calls Chicago and Baltimore 'a hellhole right now' and says parts of Los Angeles are terrible. (01:14) - He claims that without sending the National Guard to Los Angeles, the Olympics would not be coming to the city, and says the sheriff said they could not have managed without the troops. (01:35) - Trump says Washington serves as a template and the approach will be done elsewhere, with Chicago 'certainly going to be high' on the list. (02:06) - He says he would be honored to take a call from the Illinois governor, who only needs to say 'sir, we need help.' (02:14) - Rejecting the idea that Baltimore needs housing, he says the city needs to get rid of 'hardcore criminals' and claims they were 'born to be criminals.' (02:31) ## Chapters - [00:00 to 00:41] Chicago deployment and violence figures. Trump answers whether he will send National Guard troops to Chicago and cites recent murder and shooting numbers. - [00:41 to 01:14] Criticism of Pritzker and Newsom. He calls the Illinois governor terrible, groups him with Gavin Newsom, and says nearly 20 were killed in three weeks. - [01:14 to 02:01] Hellholes and the Los Angeles example. Trump labels Chicago and Baltimore hellholes and credits the Guard deployment in Los Angeles. - [02:01 to 02:31] Washington as template, invitation to governor. He says Chicago is going in, points to Washington as a template, and invites the governor to call. - [02:31 to 03:06] Baltimore and claims about criminals. He argues Baltimore needs criminals removed rather than housing and describes offenders in harsh terms. ## Key quotes - [01:14] Donald Trump: "Chicago is a hellhole right now." - [02:03] Donald Trump: "Well, we're going in." - [02:06] Donald Trump: "It serves as a template and we're going to do it elsewhere." - [02:22] Donald Trump: "sir, we need help." - [02:39] Donald Trump: "They need to get rid of the criminals." - [00:00] interviewer: "Have you decided you're definitely going to send National Guard troops to Chicago?" ## Questions this video answers - Is Trump definitely sending National Guard troops to Chicago? [00:04] - What Chicago violence statistics does Trump cite? [00:13] - What does Trump say about Governor Pritzker and Gavin Newsom? [00:41] - Why does Trump credit the National Guard deployment in Los Angeles? [01:35] - What does Trump say Washington's deployment means for other cities? [02:06] - What does Trump say Baltimore needs instead of housing? [02:31] ## Content suitability - violence [00:13-00:41]: Cites numbers of people murdered and shot in Chicago over recent weeks. - death [00:58-01:04]: Claims almost 20 people were killed in Chicago in three weeks. - crime [02:37-03:06]: Describes people as hardcore criminals who 'were born to be criminals' and would 'cut your throat.' - politics [00:00-03:06]: Political remarks on federal deployment, with criticism of named Democratic governors. by [Brian Bennett](https://time.com/author/brian-bennett/) and [Nik Popli](https://time.com/author/nik-popli/) Sep 2, 2025 8:34 PM UTC President Donald Trump said Tuesday he will send federal intervention to Chicago and Baltimore, calling the cities "a hellhole." by [Brian Bennett](https://time.com/author/brian-bennett/) and [Nik Popli](https://time.com/author/nik-popli/) Sep 2, 2025 8:34 PM UTC President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he would at some point deploy the National Guard to Chicago in an effort to stem violent crime, escalating a confrontation [with local officials](https://time.com/7313566/chicago-johnson-national-guard-trump-ice/) who have warned him not to intervene. “We’re going in,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office when asked if he had decided to send troops to the nation’s third-largest city. “I didn’t say when.” The President’s declaration followed days of sharp rhetoric aimed at Chicago and its Democratic leadership. In a string of [social media posts](https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115134530741891730) Tuesday, he described the city as the “MURDER CAPITAL OF THE WORLD!” while insisting he could “solve the crime problem fast, just like I did in D.C.” He cited shootings over the Labor Day weekend that left at least eight people dead and dozens more wounded. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, a Democrat and frequent Trump critic, has rejected federal intervention and urged the White House to stay out of Chicago. “I’ve been standing up to Donald Trump, and I’m going to do everything I can to stop him from taking away people’s rights and from using the military to invade states,” he said Sunday on CBS’s Face the Nation. Shortly after the President’s press conference, Pritzker addressed reporters on Tuesday afternoon alongside Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, who issued an executive order last week instructing local police [not to cooperate](https://time.com/7313566/chicago-johnson-national-guard-trump-ice/) with federal agents or troops if they are deployed. The confrontation highlights the limits of presidential authority outside of Washington, D.C., where Trump sent the National Guard in August. In the District of Columbia, the President serves as commander in chief of the Guard. In Illinois, by contrast, the governor ordinarily controls deployment, though Trump has argued that he can act unilaterally. Legal experts predict the question will quickly end up in court if Trump follows through and deploys the military to Chicago. “If the governor of Illinois would call up, call me up, I would love to do it.” Trump said. “Now, we’re going to do it anyway. We have the right to do it.” He added that he has an “obligation to protect this country, and that includes Baltimore.” Pritzker responded in his own press conference shortly afterward. “I'm aware that the President likes to go on television and beg me to ask him for troops,” he said. “I find this extraordinarily strange, as Chicago does not want troops on our streets.” The administration has already faced challenges on similar efforts. A federal circuit court judge [ruled](https://time.com/7313929/trump-national-guard-la-los-angeles-marines-judge-ruling/) on Tuesday that Trump’s deployment of 4,000 national guard troops and 700 Marines to Los Angeles earlier this summer violated federal law, though the decision did not force the withdrawal of hundreds of Guard members still stationed in Los Angeles. The White House is expected to appeal that decision. Chicago has long struggled with violent crime, but city officials note that the problem is not as severe as Trump portrays. Homicides and shootings have declined this year, putting the city on pace for its lowest homicide rate in half a century, according to police statistics. Still, a violent Labor Day weekend gave Trump an opening. “Two weeks ago they had six people murdered and 24 people hit by bullets,” he said. “Last week… seven people died. Over the last two days, that was the crown jewel. They had, I guess, 9 or 10 killed, and 50 hit with bullets.” The President also broadened his criticism to include Baltimore and Los Angeles, both led by Democrats, and suggested they could be next. “Chicago is the worst and most dangerous city in the world, by far,” he said in a social media post. Trump pointed to his deployment of national guard troops in Washington, D.C. as a blueprint for other cities. “I’m very proud of Washington. It serves as a template and we’re going to do it elsewhere,” he said. ## Transcript [00:00] Have you decided you're definitely going to send National Guard troops to Chicago? [00:04] Uh, I didn't say when, [00:06] but the answer is. [00:07] Look, Chicago is very interesting because I watched [00:10] Pritzker get up and say about we don't need help. We're safe. [00:13] But two weeks ago, [00:15] they had six people murdered. [00:18] Murdered, and they had 24 people hit by bullets. [00:23] Uh, last week, as you know, it was seven people, [00:25] 24 people hit and seven people died. [00:29] And then over the last two days, [00:31] it was the that was the the crown jewel. [00:35] They had, I guess, nine killed, [00:37] 9 or 10 killed and 50 hit with bullets. [00:41] And you have this governor get up. [00:43] Who's a terrible governor? [00:44] Probably he and Gavin Newsom [00:47] would be probably the two worst and most naive. They're naive. [00:51] Either they're naive or they're very untruthful. [00:54] And he'll say, we don't want any protection we don't need. [00:58] So in the last three weeks, [01:00] he's lost almost 20 people killed. There's no place. [01:04] There's no place in the world, [01:06] including you can go to Afghanistan. [01:09] You can go to places that you would think of. [01:11] They don't even come close to this. [01:14] Chicago is a hellhole right now. [01:16] Baltimore is a hellhole right now. [01:19] Parts of Los Angeles are terrible. [01:21] If we didn't put out the fires. [01:22] And I mean the other fires, [01:24] the bullet fires, uh, [01:26] they didn't do a good job with it. [01:28] They should have had the water coming down. [01:29] Like I said, you know, we had to release the water. [01:31] We had to go in and release the water to L.A.. [01:34] It's so badly run. [01:35] But if we didn't get if I didn't send the National Guard into Los Angeles, you wouldn't. [01:40] I would be making an announcement today. [01:42] I'd be talking about Huntsville, [01:43] and I'd simultaneously be saying, by the way, [01:46] the Olympics is not coming to Los Angeles. [01:49] If we didn't do that, if we didn't do that, [01:51] and even the sheriff, [01:52] the top law enforcement person in Los Angeles, [01:56] said we could not have handled it without them. [02:00] So that's what he said. [02:01] Make your mind up on Chicago, though. [02:03] Well, we're going in. [02:05] I didn't say when we're going in, [02:06] so I'm very proud of Washington. [02:08] It serves as a template and we're going to do it elsewhere. [02:11] But Chicago is certainly going to be high. [02:14] I would love to have him call. [02:16] I would love the governor of Illinois. [02:19] I'd be honored to take his call. [02:20] All he has to do is say, [02:22] sir, we need help. [02:23] It's out of control and everyone knows it is. [02:25] He's not kidding anyone. [02:27] I would love to have, uh. [02:29] I would say, governor more call, [02:31] because I watched him over the weekend trying to explain that, uh, Baltimore. [02:36] What they need is housing. [02:37] No, they don't need housing. [02:39] They need to get rid of the criminals. [02:40] These are hardcore criminals. [02:42] You know, we took many people off the streets of Washington, D.C. they're hardcore. [02:48] They're not going to be good in ten years. [02:51] In 20 years, in two years, they're going to be criminals. [02:54] They're going to be they were born to be criminals, frankly. [02:57] They were born to be criminals. [02:58] And they're tough and mean, [03:00] and they'll cut your throat and they won't even think about it the next day. 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