* AP…
President Donald Trump suggested Wednesday that New Orleans could be his next target for deploying the National Guard to fight crime, potentially expanding the number of cities around the nation where he may send federal law enforcement. […]
“So we’re making a determination now,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office during a meeting with Polish President Karol Nawrocki. “Do we go to Chicago? Do we go to a place like New Orleans, where we have a great governor, Jeff Landry, who wants us to come in and straighten out a very nice section of this country that’s become quite, you know, quite tough, quite bad.” […]
“We could straighten out Chicago. All they have to do is ask us to go into Chicago. If we don’t have the support of some of these politicians, but I’ll tell you who is supporting us, the people of Chicago,” Trump said Wednesday.
He does enjoy keeping people off balance.
Anyway, your thoughts?
…Adding… Ken Klippenstein…
The Department of Homeland Security has requested military assistance for upcoming ICE operations in Chicago, according to a “For Official Use Only” memo that I’ve obtained. A military advance team has already arrived.
The document requests “immediate Department of Defense support” for ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) activities “to address public safety and national security.” It suggests that the support will be provided by active duty troops, making no mention of the Illinois National Guard.
The request specifically seeks “support infrastructure,” including highway access, fuel, and “other logistical nodes…” with the military staging out of the Great Lakes Naval Station in North Chicago, some 30 miles from downtown.
Dated August 27, the request is from Department of Homeland Security Executive Secretary Andrew Whitaker to Defense Department Executive Secretary Anthony Fuscellaro. Whitaker is a former Ralph Lauren Brand Ambassador and a longtime Trump politico.
...Adding… Again, your guess is as good as anyone’s right now…
- ArchPundit - Wednesday, Sep 3, 25 @ 2:04 pm:
Still not sure how the Guard is going to do much in terms of long term violence cessation, but if he is going to waste the money, better to do it where the Governor wants him.
- Jerry - Wednesday, Sep 3, 25 @ 2:07 pm:
“Cuckoo” - Richard M Daley
- joand315 - Wednesday, Sep 3, 25 @ 2:12 pm:
Poor New Orleans.
- Anyone Remember - Wednesday, Sep 3, 25 @ 2:12 pm:
Long term? Nothing. Short term? Displacement of crowds, filling empty spaces, limited improvement.
- Flyin'Elvis'-Utah Chapter - Wednesday, Sep 3, 25 @ 2:13 pm:
Punks gonna punk out.
- Norseman - Wednesday, Sep 3, 25 @ 2:15 pm:
TACO happens when he feels the winds aren’t blowing right. Windy City Chicago is blowing up a big storm for him.
- low level - Wednesday, Sep 3, 25 @ 2:16 pm:
He’s weak and indecisive. Behind all that bluster, when it comes right down to it, he has nothing to stand on. I know preschool girls stronger than he is. And this is the “tough guy” conservatives like so much? Please.
- Roadrager - Wednesday, Sep 3, 25 @ 2:18 pm:
TACO Wednesday is the new Taco Tuesday.
- Incandenza - Wednesday, Sep 3, 25 @ 2:18 pm:
I have a hunch that in his own weird way he sees Pritzker as a peer, since he is a fellow billionaire, kind of how he sees Putin as a peer. He has this weird frenemy relationship with people he sees as peers, and if they push back on him (as Putin regularly does) he backs down.
- fs - Wednesday, Sep 3, 25 @ 2:18 pm:
My thoughts are the same ones I had last week:
==If history is any indication, the wavering back and forth from “I’ll call up the national guard and I don’t need permission@ to “won’t send unless requested” will continue for at least another week==
Trump never wants to actually solve an issue, he wants to create an issue and egg his supporters into believing the issue he created, that only he can solve, is the most important issue of the day. And he’ll do everything he can to expand his authority to make it look like he’s trying solve the issue he created. But all he’s really doing is attempting to broaden his executive authority. Some might call that, well, you know.
- JoanP - Wednesday, Sep 3, 25 @ 2:22 pm:
My thoughts would probably get me banned.
- Juice - Wednesday, Sep 3, 25 @ 2:22 pm:
Someone correct me if I’m wrong, but Governor Landry already has the authority to send the Louisiana National Guard into New Orleans.
As far as I know, he has not done so.
So what exactly is Trump talking about here?
- 47th Ward - Wednesday, Sep 3, 25 @ 2:23 pm:
===He does enjoy keeping people off balance.===
This is the same guy that had the military do a fly-over of the WH to distract from a group of Epstein survivors. This man is a coward, a thief and a liar.
- SalukinCU - Wednesday, Sep 3, 25 @ 2:24 pm:
i’m not sure why, but tacos sound great for supper tonight.
- Hello Friend - Wednesday, Sep 3, 25 @ 2:32 pm:
Incandenza:
What I’ve seen is Trump will feint; if he gets his way, all is good for him.
If he gets clapped back, like he did with Pritzker’s speech, his tendency is to retreat somewhat or altogether. It went from “Chicago is a hellhole” to “I’d really love it if Pritzker asked me” so it’s more of a passive-aggressive strategy.
- H-W - Wednesday, Sep 3, 25 @ 2:38 pm:
I am of the mind that Trump will need to send troops to Chicago (and Baltimore, etc.), if only to maintain his image as a red, stiff-necked guy. Too many republican lay people want him to invade major urban areas in blue states.
On the other hand, yesterday’s news that a federal appeals court ruled he did not have legal justification for invading LA due to protests may have Trump’s handlers second guessing the Posse Comitatus Act. Too many court losses could hurt his image, and the future of the party after Trump.
But because Trump is a stream-of-consciousness kind of guy, it seems to me he will invade Chicago with ICE and Customs officers, and will allow the Texas Governor to send his National Guard troops to protect the immigration officers, until the courts rule against such actions.
Trump doesn’t cave until he is forced to cave. Tacos must be cooked before they become tacos.
- JS Mill - Wednesday, Sep 3, 25 @ 2:43 pm:
My thoughts? Mike Johnson is a bit peeved right now. Makes him look as weak as trump.
- Hot Taeks - Wednesday, Sep 3, 25 @ 2:46 pm:
To me the most absurd part about this is the logistical plans. Housing National Guard troops at Great Lakes Naval Station would put the troops daily commute at 2 hours a day bare minimum (likely 3 hours). All this plan is doing is creating more traffic and headaches for citizens. I sincerely believe Tom Homan and other nincompoops in the Admin didn’t realize that North Chicago is not that close to Chicago itself.
- Aaron B - Wednesday, Sep 3, 25 @ 2:58 pm:
And the commute would be even longer if they needed to go to the southside where the violence is the worst. That’s not where the best photo-ops are though so not many troops will make it that far.
- Pundent - Wednesday, Sep 3, 25 @ 3:36 pm:
=Governor Landry already has the authority to send the Louisiana National Guard into New Orleans.=
Of course he does. As do the Governors of other red states that have cities with higher crime rates than Chicago. They choose not to as they know that it won’t make a bit of difference in the long run and diverts resources from other areas. It’s also a bit demoralizing to have your reserves called up to stand on street corners with nothing to do. The only reason anyone would consider doing so is purely for political theater purposes. And I must admit, it is a good distraction from other more pressing problems and concerns.
- JoanP - Wednesday, Sep 3, 25 @ 3:42 pm:
= he request specifically seeks “support infrastructure,” including highway access =
In other words, they want to shut down the Edens and the Kennedy.
- Interested Bystander - Wednesday, Sep 3, 25 @ 3:57 pm:
The optimist in me hopes he’s finally getting some legal advice he’s listening to that without the Governor request he doesn’t have the authority to send troops to Illinois. If he sends troops to New Orleans and gets any kind of positive metrics out of it he can use it against Pritzker down the road.
- BE - Wednesday, Sep 3, 25 @ 4:05 pm:
So, wait, from previous SunTimes stuff (was it just a couple of days ago’, the request was “”Base staff were told the facility would be providing “support” in the form of office space for a command center as well as parking space and portable laundry units, one source told the Sun-Times. However, the agents won’t be staying at the base.”
Now it’s “The request specifically seeks “support infrastructure,” including highway access, fuel, and “other logistical nodes…” ”
Just keeps taking more…
- Pundent - Wednesday, Sep 3, 25 @ 4:15 pm:
=The optimist in me hopes he’s finally getting some legal advice he’s listening to that without the Governor request he doesn’t have the authority to send troops to Illinois.=
Doubtful. The President has learned throughout his life how slowly the justice system works and how to use that for his benefit and advantage. By the time the courts rule that he can’t do something he’s already done it and moved on to the next thing. The decision to deploy the National Guard in LA got far more attention than the ruling that he lacked the authority to do so. And it came well after the manufactured crisis was over. If he can’t be pre-emptively stopped from acting illegally than the law has little if any consequence.
Red state governors, just as blue state governors, have the ability to mobilize the National Guard at their discretion whenever they choose to do so. They don’t need prompting from the President. And there’s a reason, both political and practical, that they don’t take that path.
- Huh? - Wednesday, Sep 3, 25 @ 10:24 pm:
“… shut down the Edens and the Kennedy.”
Naw, just blockade the Jane Byrne interchange. That will be sufficient to snarl the city.