President Donald Trump said on 22 Aug. 2025 that he is prepared to deploy regular U.S. military forces to Washington, D.C., if the current National Guard–supported law-enforcement operation in the capital requires additional reinforcement. Trump added that “Chicago will probably be the next city we make safe,” signalling plans to expand the federal anti-crime initiative once the Washington effort concludes. He described Chicago as “a mess” with a “grossly incompetent” mayor and said New York would be considered for assistance after Chicago. The president did not give a timeline or details on the size of any forthcoming deployments, but emphasised he is willing to use “regular military if needed” to lower violent crime in major U.S. cities.