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Democrats are criticizing President Donald Trump for a social media post that appeared to threaten Chicago with deportations and the U.S. military.
Trump posted on Truth Social an AI image of himself styled as Robert Duvall’s character in “Apocalypse Now,” a Vietnam War epic about a decorated U.S. officer who has gone rogue deep in the Cambodian jungle. The words “Chipocalypse Now” were also seen on the image.
“‘I love the smell of deportations in the morning…'” Trump wrote in the post on Saturday morning, a play on a famous quote from the 1979 film.
“Chicago about to find out why it’s called the Department of WAR,” he added, referring to his recent executive order renaming the Department of Defense to the Department of War.
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President Donald Trump shared a digitally altered image depicting himself as a commander “at war” with Chicago, drawing backlash from Illinois leaders. (President Donald Trump via Truth Social)
Several Democrats blasted the president for his threats of “war” against U.S. cities, which comes as the federal government is potentially considering deploying the National Guard to Chicago to deal with crime – a move Illinois leaders have repeatedly criticized.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom responded to the post by saying Trump was “using our troops like political pawns.”
“The President of the United States is deploying the military onto US streets and using our troops like political pawns,” Newsom wrote on X. “DO NOT ALLOW YOURSELF TO BECOME NUMB TO THIS.”
Newsom butted heads with Trump over the summer after National Guard troops and Marines were deployed to Los Angeles to respond to anti-ICE demonstrations and support federal immigration enforcement.
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California Gov. Gavin Newsom said President Donald Trump was “using our troops like political pawns.” (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Both Illinois senators pushed back on the president’s “disgusting” post suggesting he would wage war on the Windy City.
“No Donald, Chicago is not your war zone,” Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth wrote on X.
Duckworth is also a combat veteran and retired Army National Guard lieutenant colonel.
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Sen. Dick Durbin wrote on X that Trump should be focused on his “weak jobs reports,” “record measles cases,” “tariffs hurting American farmers and businesses” and “hidden Epstein files” instead of “asking ChatGPT to make him memes and threatening to turn our brave armed forces against American cities.”
“This tweet this morning was disgusting to suggest that the troops are coming into Chicago or that the Department of War is going to be engaged is an embarrassment,” Durban said during remarks before a parade in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood, according to FOX 32 Chicago.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson have been feuding with President Donald Trump in recent weeks. (Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images)
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson have been feuding with Trump in recent weeks over the potential deployment of National Guard troops to Chicago.
“The President of the United States is threatening to go to war with an American city,” Pritzker wrote on X on Saturday. “This is not a joke. This is not normal. Donald Trump isn’t a strongman, he’s a scared man. Illinois won’t be intimidated by a wannabe dictator.”
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Johnson has previously cited data showing that violent crime in Chicago has declined in the last year, including homicides and robberies dipping by more than 30%, and shootings dropping by nearly 40%.
“The President’s threats are beneath the honor of our nation, but the reality is that he wants to occupy our city and break our Constitution,” Johnson wrote on Saturday. “We must defend our democracy from this authoritarianism by protecting each other and protecting Chicago from Donald Trump.”
