President Donald Trump remains adamant that he can deploy the National Guard to Democrat-run states, despite legal speculation that he cannot, as he prepares to send members to cities such as Chicago, and Gov. JB Pritzker (D-IL) decries his plan.
“I have the right to do anything I want to do,” Trump told reporters on Tuesday. “I’m the president of the United States. If I think our country is in danger, and it is a danger in these cities, I can do it. No problem going in and solving his difficulties.”
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But Trump repeated that he would prefer to have permission from the likes of Pritzker before any deployment, as he continues to crack down on crime and homelessness, first demonstrated in Washington.
“It would be nice if they’d call and say, ‘Would you do it?’ And we do it in conjunction,” he said, adding, “I would have much more respect for Pritzker if he’d call me up and say, ‘I have a problem. Can you help me fix it?’ I would be so happy to do it.”
Trump criticized Pritzker, a possible 2028 Democratic presidential candidate whose family owns the Hyatt hotel chain, as a “bad politician.”
“I mean, if he didn’t have the money, he wouldn’t get any votes, because there’s no compelling reason to vote for him as a major loser,” he said. “But it would be nice if he would call me, I would change my mind immediately.”
Trump similarly previewed the prospect of deploying the National Guard to New York, underscoring that he would want to make any contribution “friendly.”
Trump’s previous federalization of the National Guard, his sending members to Los Angeles in June to respond to anti-immigration enforcement protests, is being challenged in court by another possible presidential candidate, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA).
Pritzker has previewed a legal fight, much like Newsom, if Trump should deploy the Guard against his wishes.
“What President Trump is doing is unprecedented and unwarranted,” Pritzker said Monday. “It is illegal, it is unconstitutional, it is un-American.”
During the protracted Cabinet meeting, Trump indicated the likelihood that his federalization of law enforcement in Washington would be extended beyond the public safety emergency he invoked earlier this month using the District of Columbia Home Rule Act.
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“We want to stay longer than 30 days,” he said. “I can extend it, but I would rather not have to declare a national emergency because by that time, right now, there is not an emergency.”
He also expressed support for permitting women to carry weapons in Washington, telling a reporter, “I agree with you, 100%.”