Did President Trump just back down?
Monday, Aug 25, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Just before Gov. Pritzker’s press conference denouncing a military intervention, this appeared…
Dude says a lot of things. So your guess is as good as anyone’s what happens next. But the Pritzker people have long said that the best way to deal with Trump is to push back hard.
* From the story…
Last week, Trump suggested his administration could target Chicago next for a federal crackdown against crime.
But when pressed on Monday, he hedged, saying he may or may not send in federal troops to Chicago.
“I didn’t get a request from the governor,” Trump said. “Illinois is affected maybe more than anybody else. And I think until I get that request from that guy, I’m not going to do anything about it.”
- NIU Grad - Monday, Aug 25, 25 @ 3:35 pm:
The Mayor of DC tried the soft-ball approach with Trump, as well as the “use logic” approach by pointing out that crime rates are down. They didn’t work.
You just have to convince Trump that it’s much easier to whine about something politically than get pulled into a fight.
- Three Dimensional Checkers - Monday, Aug 25, 25 @ 3:39 pm:
Well, that was a waste of mental time and energy.
- Incandenza - Monday, Aug 25, 25 @ 3:40 pm:
Trump is a taco - he chickens out. He’s the schoolyard bully. We all just need to metaphorically punch back and he’ll slink away.
That doesn’t solve every problem, I’m sure DOGE will continue to illegally take a hatchet to publicly funded research, but we can all chew gum and walk at the same time. We can call out the bully AND do our best to mitigate the damage done to our budgets.
- Wilson - Monday, Aug 25, 25 @ 3:43 pm:
Maybe the President watched a video about how peaceful the lakefront is at 6am and decided the problem is solved.
- old guy - Monday, Aug 25, 25 @ 3:46 pm:
Ok Chicago, you can eat your sandwiches now!
- fs - Monday, Aug 25, 25 @ 3:47 pm:
If history is any indication, the wavering back and forth from “I’m call up the national guard and I don’t need permission” to “won’t send unless requested” will continue for at least another week.
- Original Rambler - Monday, Aug 25, 25 @ 3:48 pm:
I’m sure he’s right about this since I’ve read on his forehead that he’s right about everything.
Agree with TDC.
- Former State Worker - Monday, Aug 25, 25 @ 3:52 pm:
The timing isn’t right for a distraction. I’m guessing he just drags this out until he needs to divert attention away from something else.
- Dirty Red - Monday, Aug 25, 25 @ 4:12 pm:
= Well, that was a waste of mental time and energy. =
Unless you consider the President’s threat bringing together the Governor, the Mayor, both U.S. Senators, members of Congress, the House Speaker, several Constitutionals and legislative office holders. Gov. Rauner’s mind-boggling campaign against organized labor had the same effect. So did Gov. Blagojevich’s blatant corruption and contribution shakedowns. Remind me what happened afterwards in either instance.
- Suburban Mom - Monday, Aug 25, 25 @ 4:13 pm:
TACO deployments now, yay
- CA-HOON - Monday, Aug 25, 25 @ 4:19 pm:
@Former State Worker
Totally agreed it’s a distraction, and the something else is about how Trump was not only a “customer” but an active participant in the scheme to kidnap children into sex trafficking, Mar-A-Lago was one of the pipelines for Epstein-&-Maxwell’s operation.
The distractions will continue until either the dam breaks and MAGA turns on Trump, or he gets his “Reichstag Fire” moment when/if someone finally guns down some of these masked thugs who have been disappearing people.
- 47th Ward - Monday, Aug 25, 25 @ 4:20 pm:
I was hoping the National Guard would be put up in hotels and given a healthy per diem to spend around town. It would be a nice boost for our tourism numbers. I was even working on a list of “must sees” while they were here.
- JS Mill - Monday, Aug 25, 25 @ 4:25 pm:
=Well, that was a waste of mental time and energy.=
It is a feature not a bug. Steve Bannon told us whjat the strategy would be- Flood the zone. Right now trump is on full panic mode and they are pulling out all of the stops to distract from Epstein and the floundering economy. They will throw anything and everything against the wall to see what sticks. No other administration had that kind of 1) willingness 2) ability to do it and not lose their base 3) lack of anything resembling integrity.
Anytime any other administration got busted telling a big fib they immediately ran for the hills. Not this one, they double down. There is a great quote from the movie The International that applies here “When there’s no way out, you find a deeper way in.”
The chaos is a feature not a big. Credit Pritzker for not backing down or making a deal. Now the powers that be here need to move even more assertively on crime in the city (which they were clearly making some headway on) and take back the narrative.
- Ryder - Monday, Aug 25, 25 @ 4:31 pm:
I live in Chicago….and it’s very dangerous on the South Side where I live. A young boy just was shot last week..he lost his eye. There is open drug dealing and heavy gang activity a mile from my house. Families won’t go out after dark. Try to take a CTA Train at night…or walk the neighborhoods of Roseland and Englewood after dark…and see how much crime has went down. The reality is Chicago isn’t Safe….and taxpayers deserve better. Poll my neighbors here in Garfield Ridge and Clearing and most will tell you the truth….that they all welcome and thank President Trump for providing any assistance to combat this toxic crime.
- Amalia - Monday, Aug 25, 25 @ 4:33 pm:
and what about the fish? that part of his presser was head snapping.
- 47th Ward - Monday, Aug 25, 25 @ 4:40 pm:
===Poll my neighbors here in Garfield Ridge and Clearing and most will tell you the truth….that they all welcome and thank President Trump for providing any assistance to combat this toxic crime.===
I agree with you, for the most part. But the National Guard was not going to provide any assistance. And as much as I hate to say it, Brandon Johnson nailed it: the feds should be providing grants for violence interrupters, additional police officers for Chicago, money to build housing, job training dollars, youth mentorship and apprentice programs, education dollars. Instead, a lot of this has been cut.
As frustrated as you and your neighbors are, please understand that sending in the National Guard was never about addressing violence in Chicago.
- Frida's Boss - Monday, Aug 25, 25 @ 4:50 pm:
Interesting, I don’t recall Trump backing down in California. Newsome is making a big play for himself to be the premier candidate for President. He couldn’t stop Trump from sending troops to California and LA. Not sure if this will help with the intricacies of running for President? But JB being able to say he was able to stop Donald Trump and Gavin couldn’t isn’t a bad narrative for JB to have.
Also Brandon’s speech today at the PC was pretty good.
It’s a long way to March 2027.
- Big Dipper - Monday, Aug 25, 25 @ 5:00 pm:
And it’s not even Taco Tuesday yet.
- Pundent - Monday, Aug 25, 25 @ 5:17 pm:
=that they all welcome and thank President Trump for providing any assistance to combat this toxic crime.=
The National Guard won’t be coming to your neighborhood and to the extent they are deployed to Chicago they’ll be here for no more than 30 days before moving on to the next city on the President’s propaganda tour.
If the President was sincere about addressing crime in your community or any other community in the City of Chicago he wouldn’t have cut crime prevention funding by $800M. Or as Pritzker noted at this afternoon press conference he wouldn’t be “defunding the police.”
- Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs - Monday, Aug 25, 25 @ 5:20 pm:
Some genuine Tin Foil Hat type comments today.
Human trafficking at Mar-a-Lago? And the FBI missed it?
Sheesh.
- Big Dipper - Monday, Aug 25, 25 @ 5:23 pm:
I thought your leader tells us we can’t trust the FBI.
- ZC - Monday, Aug 25, 25 @ 5:32 pm:
Trump is constantly probing with bayonets. If he finds mush, he most definitely pushes forward. If he finds steel, often he withdraws, though sometimes he doesn’t.
- FormerParatrooper - Monday, Aug 25, 25 @ 5:44 pm:
I am concerned about the Federal over reach of what the President is proposing about sending in the NG. It is not unprecedented as other Presidents have done the same. I don’t think anything short of an insurrection or rioting that the States can’t handle, is unconstitutional
IMHO, the hole Epstein conspiracy is riddled with holes on both sides. If Trump was identified the last administration would have leaked it or posted that evidence. If anyone on the left was implicated, it would been leaked already. All we have is bluster n both sides to jeep their bases riled.
- Da big bad wolf - Monday, Aug 25, 25 @ 5:54 pm:
=== Poll my neighbors here in Garfield Ridge and Clearing and most will tell you the truth….that they all welcome and thank President Trump for providing any assistance to combat this toxic crime.===
Depends what that assistance is. A bunch of National Guard guys walking around with their guns but no knowledge of police work nor authority to arrest anyone is not going to be helpful.
More money for crime labs so they can increase the clearance rate for shootings, and get those shooters off the street? Go for it.
- Big Dipper - Monday, Aug 25, 25 @ 6:27 pm:
People in high-crime neighborhoods also complain about over-policing so there are mixed signals being sent.