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5d ago

Trump Threatens Baltimore as Pentagon Drafts Chicago Deployment Plans

Democratic officials call the threats unlawful, pointing to falling crime.

Bus riders watch as Metropolitan Police Department officers detain a man during a traffic stop on H Street corridor in Washington, DC, on Wednesday.
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents patrol the National Mall, Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
People walk on the street near members of the National Guard after U.S. President Donald Trump deployed the National Guard and ordered an increased presence of federal law enforcement to assist in crime prevention, in Washington, D.C., U.S., August 23, 2025. REUTERS/Aaron Schwartz/File Photo
A members of the Mississippi National Guard stands near the Washington Monument on the National Mall after U.S. President Donald Trump deployed the National Guard and ordered an increased presence of federal law enforcement to assist in crime prevention, in Washington, D.C., U.S., August 21, 2025. REUTERS/Al Drago

Overview

  • Thousands of National Guard members and federal agents remain deployed across Washington under a contested federal surge that followed the White House asserting control over D.C. policing.
  • Trump said Chicago would likely be targeted next and then New York, and on Sunday he suggested sending troops to Baltimore after sparring with Maryland Governor Wes Moore.
  • The Pentagon has prepared contingency options for Chicago that could mobilize several thousand Guard troops as early as September, with planning documents also contemplating active-duty forces, though officials declined to confirm specifics.
  • Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and Governor Wes Moore rejected the plans as lacking legal basis; Johnson said Chicago would sue to block any military deployment.
  • City data cited by Chicago and Baltimore leaders show sharp declines in shootings, robberies, and homicides this year, fueling disputes over the administration’s emergency rationale and the legality and duration of federal control.