President Donald Trump asserted that he could legally invoke the Insurrection Act to tackle violent crime in Chicago, suggesting that governors in crime-ravaged areas should learn from his approach in Washington, D.C. and Memphis. During a press briefing aboard Air Force One after his Middle East peace tour, Trump emphasized that the Insurrection Act, enacted in 1807, has been used by approximately half of U.S. presidents and cannot be legally challenged. He claimed the act is a powerful tool for addressing civil unrest and that governors like Illinois’ JB Pritzker should take decisive action or ‘beg for help.’
Trump highlighted the significant crime surge in Chicago, citing over 4,000 shootings in the city in the past year and a half. He criticized the state’s current handling of the situation, arguing that Pritzker should take more active measures to curb violent crime. However, recent court rulings have limited the National Guard’s role in Illinois, including restrictions on their ability to patrol or protect federal property. Despite these challenges, Trump expressed confidence that if the National Guard were to be deployed with greater authority under the Insurrection Act, it could significantly reduce crime in Chicago.
Trump also compared Chicago’s current situation to Washington, D.C. and Memphis, where he had previously deployed National Guard forces, claiming that these actions led to a substantial decline in crime rates. He emphasized that Pritzker could replicate this success if he were to seek Trump’s assistance, stating that the president could deploy the military to ‘clean out’ the city of criminals and restore safety. While Trump argued that the Insurrection Act is not subject to legal challenges, recent legal battles suggest that the act may face greater scrutiny in the future.
Legal experts have called into question Trump’s interpretation of the Insurrection Act, which requires the president to first request an opinion from the Department of Justice before deploying federal troops. Many legal scholars argue that the act is not as straightforward as Trump claims, and that its use is subject to specific constitutional and legal requirements. Nonetheless, Trump maintained that presidents across U.S. history have used the act without facing legal obstacles, and that it remained a viable option for addressing civil unrest in major cities.
With the ongoing standoff between Trump and Pritzker, the use of the Insurrection Act has become a central point of contention. While Trump claims that the act is a powerful tool for addressing crime, critics argue that its invocation would raise serious constitutional and legal issues, particularly given the recent court rulings that have limited its scope. As the situation in Chicago continues to worsen, the debate over the use of military force to address urban crime is likely to remain a focal point of political discourse.