President Donald Trump blasted Democrats in Portland, Oregon, and Chicago, Illinois, on Monday, stating they want to “inflame crime” while he and his administration want to reduce it.
Trump, whose authorization of the use of troops to protect Portland and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities last week, called out Democratic leaders with jurisdiction over the cities, starting with Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D-IL) and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D), during an Oval Office signing.
“I believe that Pritzker and this mayor of Chicago … they don’t have it under control. Not only is it not under control, it’s the opposite. And I believe they’re afraid. They’re scared for their lives. I believe that the Portland people are scared,” he said.
He was also critical of federal Judge Karin Immergut, who blocked Trump from deploying Oregon’s National Guard in the state. Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) authorized Texas to send 400 of their National Guard “to ensure safety for federal officials.”
“You look at what’s happened with Portland over the years; it’s a burning hellhole. And then, you have a judge that lost her way that tries to pretend that like there’s no problem,” Trump said. “Actually, she’s not even saying that.”
“There’s a huge problem in Portland. I’ll tell you what the problem is: crime. Okay? And it’s a huge problem in Chicago. It’s called crime, and we want to put out the crime, and they want to inflame the crime,” he added. “And why they want to, I don’t know, but it could be that Pritzker is scared for his life.”
While Immergut blocked Trump from mobilizing the Oregon National Guard, an Illinois judge opted not to block the federal government from authorizing the use of the Illinois and Texas National Guard in Chicago, as News Nation noted. The judge, April Perry, has called for in-depth court filings on the matter.
