President Donald Trump on 11 August threatened to deploy National Guard troops to Chicago, calling the city a “disaster” as he announced a federal takeover of policing in Washington, D.C., under Section 740 of the Home Rule Act. The White House did not detail a legal mechanism for extending the action to Illinois, but Trump said he would use similar measures “if we need to” in Chicago, New York and Los Angeles. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson rejected the proposal, arguing the president lacks authority under the Posse Comitatus Act to send troops without state consent. Pritzker said Trump “has absolutely no right and no legal ability” to occupy the city and compared the idea to the Nazi Party’s dismantling of Germany’s constitutional republic in the 1930s. Johnson warned that bringing in the Guard would “destabilize our city and undermine our public-safety efforts.” City officials pointed to falling violent-crime numbers to counter Trump’s characterisation. Chicago recorded 240 homicides through 3 August, 48 % fewer than the 463 logged over the same period in 2021, while total shootings have dropped 57 % in the four-year span, according to police data. Johnson also accused the administration of cutting $158 million in anti-violence funds that he said were critical to sustaining the improvement. The confrontation extends a series of clashes between the Republican president and Democratic leaders of major cities after Trump earlier this summer dispatched Guard units to Los Angeles over immigration-related unrest—a deployment now the subject of a federal court challenge by California. Pritzker, a potential 2028 presidential contender, said he is focused on seeking a third term as governor but will continue to contest what he called the president’s “authoritarian playbook.”