More than 50 people were shot in Chicago this past weekend — 8 of whom were killed. Instead of addressing the bloodshed, Democrat Mayor Brandon Johnson spent his time telling residents to be ready to “defend this land” from the National Guard, anticipating President Donald Trump may deploy the National Guard to crack down on rampant crime in the Windy City.
In a post on Truth Social on Tuesday, Trump suggested he would “solve the crime problem fast” in Chicago, just as he’s done in D.C. Chicago is in dire need of intervention: 274 murders this year alone, and more than 1,200 people have been shot, as reported by CNN. That’s “more than those reported” in New York City and Los Angeles which both have larger populations, according to the report.
Residents themselves know change is needed. Cedric Hawkins told CNN that he wants Trump “to send the right resources” — but fears the National Guard could cause more crime. Rochelle Sykes told CNN her “grandkids can’t sit outside. They can’t sit in the living room or at the kitchen table, because a bullet may come through.” Sykes, like Hawkins, also doesn’t want the National Guard — but wants relief.
Ameenah Haque, however, would like to see the National Guard in the city.
“The residents deserve more,” Haque told CNN. “The crime shouldn’t take over the city. The crime should not make residents feel like they can’t live everyday life.”
Evidence from D.C. suggests residents would get more. Since the Guard’s deployment in the nation’s capital, there has been an approximate 50 percent decrease in violent crime, while carjackings in particular have decreased 82 percent, according to Newsweek. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser even gave credit to Trump, noting that there has been a noticeable decrease in crime in the city following Trump’s involvement.
But Johnson and Illinois Gov J.B. Pritzker aren’t interested. Johnson called the deployment “unsound” and “uncalled for” while Pritzker called the move “unwarranted” and “unprecedented.”
But their objection isn’t about safety — it’s about politics. Safe streets and secure neighborhoods are universally popular. But what Democrats can’t allow is for Trump to prove that law and order actually works.
If the National Guard is deployed to Chicago, and crime falls as it has in D.C., it proves that shootings, murders, carjackings and other violent crime in Chicago was merely a choice — a result of weak and spineless Democrats in power who refused to restore law and order to save their own constituents.
Democrats aren’t afraid of the National Guard, they are afraid of what the Guard’s success would reveal.
Brianna Lyman is an elections correspondent at The Federalist. Brianna graduated from Fordham University with a degree in International Political Economy. Her work has been featured on Newsmax, Fox News, Fox Business and RealClearPolitics. Follow Brianna on X: @briannalyman2