Overview

• The president signed an executive order directing the Pentagon to establish specialized National Guard units and a nationwide quick‑reaction force for public order duties, raising questions about authority when governors object.
• The Washington Post reported the Pentagon has drafted options to send several thousand Guard members to Chicago as soon as September, though no deployment has been ordered and officials have not briefed senior leaders on final plans.
• Trump alternated between saying cities should request help and suggesting he might act unilaterally, labeling Chicago a “killing field” and insisting he is “not a dictator.”
• Gov. JB Pritzker told Trump to “not come to Chicago,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said the city would challenge any move, and Attorney General Kwame Raoul said there are no legal grounds, citing constraints such as the Posse Comitatus Act.
• Chicago officials point to recent police data showing year‑to‑date declines in murders, shootings and car thefts, arguing the city does not face an emergency warranting federal troops.