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President Donald Trump seemed to hint at the possibility of taking his D.C. crime crackdown to Chicago.
“After we do this will go to another location, and we’ll make it safe, also. We’re going to make our country very safe,” he said when speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Friday. “We’re going to make our cities very, very safe. Chicago’s a mess.”
President Donald Trump speaks with reporters in the Oval Office of the White House Friday, Aug. 22, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo)
Trump called Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson “grossly incompetent” and said his administration would handle the windy city next. He also said the people of Chicago were “screaming” for federal assistance in cutting down the crime rate.
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“We’ll straighten that one out probably next,” he added. “That’ll be our next one after this, and it won’t even be tough.”
While he said Chicago would be next, the windy city wasn’t the only place the president called out. He also said the federal crackdown could come to his hometown, New York City.
Chicago police conduct an investigation after a shooting on Wabash Avenue between Madison and Washington streets Jan. 26, 2024, in Chicago. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
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Last week, in an unprecedented move, Trump launched a federal crime crackdown in D.C. and brought in additional law enforcement resources to clean up the nation’s capital. His approach appears to be working. Washington, D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department confirmed to Fox News Digital Thursday there has not been a homicide in the city in more than a week, coinciding with the takeover.
During his 2024 presidential campaign, Trump threatened to federalize D.C. because of the city’s struggle to control crime. The Aug. 3 attempted carjacking and brutal beating of a former Department of Government Efficiency staffer brought the issue back to the spotlight, sparking national debate. The following week, on Aug. 11, Trump declared a crime emergency in D.C., sparking the federal takeover.
President Donald Trump speaks with members of law enforcement and National Guard soldiers Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo)
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“The city government’s failure to maintain public order and safety has had a dire impact on the federal government’s ability to operate efficiently to address the nation’s broader interests without fear of our workers being subjected to rampant violence,” Trump’s executive order said.
On Friday, Trump declared on Truth Social that D.C. was “safe again” and that it would soon “be great again.” He also praised law enforcement personnel for “doing a fantastic job.”
