President Trump said “we’re going in” to Chicago with National Guard troops, but didn’t say when.

He railed against crime in Chicago and against Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, a Democrat. He said he would welcome a call from Mr. Pritzker telling him to “send in the troops.”

“Chicago is a hellhole right now. Baltimore is a hellhole right now,” he said in the Oval Office Tuesday.

“If the governor of Illinois would call me up, I would love to do it. Now, we’re going to do it anyway. We have the right to do it,” Mr. Trump said.

He said he has an “obligation to protect this country.”

Mr. Trump also talked about how Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, a Democrat, invited him to walk down Baltimore streets.

“I watched him over the weekend trying to explain that Baltimore, what they need is housing. No, they don’t need housing; they need to get rid of the criminals,” he said. “These are hard-core criminals.”

He referred to the disappearing crime in D.C., calling it a “safe zone” after sending in troops last month.

“I’m very proud of Washington. It serves as a template,” he said. “And we’re going to do it elsewhere.”

Earlier Tuesday on social media he slammed Chicago as the “worst and most dangerous city in the World, by far. At least 54 people were shot in Chicago over the weekend, 8 people were killed. The last two weekends were similar.”

The president has said numerous times that he could send National Guard troops to Chicago, Baltimore and New York to duplicate what they’ve done in D.C.

“Wouldn’t it be nice to say that about Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and even the Crime Drenched City of Baltimore???” Mr. Trump posted on Truth Social Monday. “It can happen, and it can happen FAST! Work with us!!!”

• Mallory Wilson can be reached at mwilson@washingtontimes.com.