ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith argued Thursday that Democratic figures opposing President Donald Trump’s crime crackdown in their cities are motivated by ego and fear of losing power.
In an interview on Fox News Channel’s "The Will Cain Show," Smith told the host that Democratic leaders, including Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, refuse to work with Trump because it would damage their image to cooperate with the president.
"When you take those things into account, there’s no denying that there’s egos that are involved, there’s people that’s worrying about their power being usurped, there’s also people worried about maintaining power because, if any way they come across as cooperative and willing to work with the president, that they’re going to alienate their party," Smith told Cain.
ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith, middle, said that Democratic Illinois leaders like J.B. Pritzker, left, and Brandon Johnson, right, are protecting their egos. (Scott Olson / Getty; Aaron M. Sprecher / Getty; Kamil Krzaczynski / Getty)
Trump has signaled his intention to send federal troops into Chicago to address the city’s violent crime. In a Truth Social post shared Tuesday, he wrote, "At least 54 people were shot in Chicago over the weekend, 8 people were killed... Pritzker needs help badly, he just doesn’t know it yet. I will solve the crime problem fast, just like I did in DC. Chicago will be safe again, & soon. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"
Washington, D.C., has seen a decrease in reported crime in recent weeks after Trump ordered the deployment of the U.S. National Guard and expanded federal law enforcement presence in the city last month.
Trump’s calls for similar federal intervention into Chicago have sparked pushback from Pritzker and Johnson.
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Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker delivers remarks in Chicago alongside Mayor Brandon Johnson and other officials. (Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images)
The governor has said there is no crime emergency in Chicago and that Trump is "attempting to manufacture a crisis, politicize Americans who serve in uniform, and continue abusing his power to distract from the pain he is causing working families."
He also called Trump’s idea "unconstitutional" and "un-American."
Johnson wrote on X last month, "What the President is proposing would be the most flagrant violation of our Constitution in the 21st Century. The City of Chicago does not need a military occupation."
Smith argued that while Democratic leaders are protecting their egos, Republicans are also guilty of blindly backing Trump’s agenda.
"But they’re not the only ones guilty of that because we’ve seen people on the right willing to sign off on anything the president says and does because of the same reasons, so again, it’s politics across the board," the commentator said.
President Donald Trump visits the U.S. Park Police Anacostia Operations Facility on Aug. 21, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
However, Smith said crime and death in Chicago must take priority over political squabbling.
"But as a Black man speaking to the murders that you highlighted and articulated, that’s my primary concern and that should usurp all concerns over all other things when it comes to what we’re talking about," he told Cain. "People are getting killed in the streets, particularly in the streets of Chicago."
Reps for Pritzker and Johnson did not immediately reply to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Cameron Arcand and Landon Mion contributed to this report.