(The Center Square) – President Donald Trump says he doesn’t want to use the Insurrection Act to help with public safety in places like Chicago and insisted Gov. J.B. Pritzker “beg” for his help.
On a flight back from the Middle East Monday following a peace summit focused on ending the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, and securing the release of remaining hostages held by Hamas, the president took questions from members of the media. Public safety back home was part of the focus.
Trump’s plan to use the National Guard for public safety in Chicago was stifled last week. Approximately 500 Guard soldiers from Illinois and Texas were activated. An emergency motion to address a temporary restraining order from a district judge issued Thursday was denied by an appeals court over the weekend.
“I’m allowed to use the insurrection Act,” Trump said Monday. “I’m not going to go there yet, because I’m winning on appeal. You’re right. We’re losing with radical left judges, generally, radical left judges, and we’re winning on appeal. So we’ll see what happens.”
The case has yet to be dealt with on the merits.
One reporter asked what message he had for Pritzker.
“I think he should beg for help because he’s running a bad operation,” Trump said. “He’s letting people be killed in his city because he doesn’t want, in Chicago, and I love Chicago. And Chicago can be a great city again, and very quickly. I would have Chicago cleaned out.”
Trump discussed how he had the Guard help with public safety in Washington D.C. and insisted he could do the same in Chicago.
“Pritzker should ask me to do it,” Trump said. “One of you mentioned insurrection act. I could do that and many presidents have.”
He said other presidents have used it in the past “because they don’t want to go through this stuff where somebody said there’s not crime and 4,000 people got shot.”
Asked if he’d like governors in the United States to be tougher, Trump said “I want it to be stronger and tougher and not allow us to have record breaking crime.”
