WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump threatened to unleash his newly rebranded Department of War on Chicago, escalating tensions over his push to deploy troops into Democratic-led US cities.
The move seeks to replicate an operation in Washington where he deployed National Guard troops and federal agents to conduct arrests and deportations, sparking backlash from local residents.
“Chicago about to find out why it’s called the Department of WAR,“ Trump posted Saturday on his Truth Social account.
The post featured an apparent AI image of Trump and the quote “I love the smell of deportations in the morning,“ referencing the 1979 film “Apocalypse Now.”
Trump signed an order on Friday changing the name of the Department of Defense to the Department of War, saying it sends “a message of victory” to the world.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker voiced outrage at Trump’s post, stating “The President of the United States is threatening to go to war with an American city.”
“Illinois won’t be intimidated by a wannabe dictator,“ he added in a post on X.
Trump’s troop deployments first began in June in Los Angeles followed by Washington, prompting legal challenges and protests from critics calling them authoritarian.
He has threatened to replicate the surges in Democratic-led Baltimore and New Orleans in addition to Chicago.
A large protest march wound through downtown Washington on Saturday demanding an end to the National Guard deployment Trump declared in August. – AFP