President Donald Trump scolded NBC News White House Correspondent Yamiche Alcindor over a question about whether his administration really means to “go to war” with the city of Chicago.
Alcindor asked the question as Trump prepared to leave the White House to attend the finals of the U.S. Open, and was referring to a meme — posted Saturday on Trump’s Truth Social platform — that read, “‘I love the smell of deportations in the morning…’ Chicago about to find out why it’s called the Department of WAR.”
WATCH:
.@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
“Are you trying to go to war with Chicago?” Alcindor asked.
When you say that, darling, that’s fake news,” Trump pushed back.
Alcindor started to respond, but Trump kept talking.
“I don’t go to war with — listen. Be quiet, listen!” Trump said. “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. We’re gonna clean them up, so they don’t kill five people every weekend. That’s not war, that’s common sense.”
Trump jabbed at reporters again — and the city of Chicago — laying out the murder statistics from just the last two weekends in 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?”
WATCH:
.@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 repeatedly said he’d send National Guard troops to several major cities — Chicago among them — in order to assist local law enforcement and help bring down soaring violent crime rates. That plan has been met with objections from Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, both of whom have claimed that Chicago is getting better.