Overview
- President Trump urged “CALL IN THE TROOPS” in a Truth Social post about a “Miracle Mile Shopping Center” in Chicago and claimed a “more than 28% vacancy factor.”
- Reporters noted no such mall exists in Chicago and that he likely meant the Magnificent Mile retail corridor, which is not a single shopping center.
- The cited 28% figure matches recent reports on downtown office vacancies, not retail storefront vacancies on Michigan Avenue.
- The Magnificent Mile Association reports a 22.9% retail vacancy rate, down from pandemic-era highs, and police data show year-over-year declines in shootings, batteries, robberies, burglaries and vehicle thefts as new leases and openings are announced.
- The administration has asked the Supreme Court to allow National Guard deployment to Chicago after a lower court blocked it, and Illinois leaders continue to oppose federal troops in the city.