Trump says he could invoke the Insurrection Act to curb Chicago crime.
President Donald Trump said he could legally invoke the Insurrection Act to combat violent crime in Chicago, urging Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker to “beg for help” as tensions between the two leaders escalate.
Speaking aboard Air Force One after concluding his Middle East peace tour, Trump compared U.S. cities plagued by violence to Egypt’s hard-line crime policies, which he credited to “strong leadership.”
He said governors in struggling states should follow that example.
“I want them to be stronger and tougher and not allow us to have record-breaking crime in Chicago and other places. I want them to admit they have a problem,” Trump said.
“There were about 4,000 shootings in Chicago — murders — over a fairly short period of time, maybe a year and a half. Many thousands more were hit by bullets but didn’t die. I want [Pritzker] to say, we have a problem,” he added, touting lower crime rates in Washington, D.C., and Memphis, where he deployed the National Guard.
When asked whether he would invoke the Insurrection Act — after courts limited his authority over Guard deployments — Trump was blunt.
“I could use it if I wanted to. I could use it — that’s a very simple answer. I’m allowed to use the Insurrection Act,” he said.
“In fact, that was on Stephanopoulos today — ‘Sloppy’ Chris Christie was asked about it. He said, If you’re talking about the Insurrection Act, he’s got the absolute right to use that.”
“He also said 50% of the presidents who’ve served in office have used the Insurrection Act — and that, according to all of them, it can’t even be challenged.”
The Insurrection Act of 1807 authorizes the president to deploy active-duty military or federalized National Guard troops inside the U.S. in cases of rebellion, obstruction of law, or civil disorder. It has been invoked about 30 times by roughly 10 presidents — most recently by George H. W. Bush during the 1992 Los Angeles riots.
Trump previously threatened to invoke the act during the 2020 George Floyd protests but never did.
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— Fox News (@FoxNews) October 14, 2025