After deploying National Guard troops to the nation’s capital and LA, Trump sets his sights on several Postindustrial Cities led by Black mayors, starting with Chicago.
Quick question: When what was previously considered “hysterical hyperbole” becomes reality (Trump will use the military to destroy American democracy! ), is it bad form to say, “I told you so!”
If so, then color me the kind of asshole that says as much.
Trump, of course, couldn’t give a shit about America or democracy. His revenge agenda against anyone who’s given him side eye, as well as any city leader guilty of being Black, is now in full swing.
That includes Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (Black) and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (ardent critic and wealthier billionaire), both of whom condemned Trump’s assertion that he should send National Guard troops into the Windy City.
Trump has reportedly been planning a full-scale invasion of Chicago for weeks, according to recent reporting.
The Pentagon has for weeks been planning a military deployment to Chicago as President Donald Trump says he wants to crack down on crime, homelessness, and undocumented immigration, in a model that could later be used in other major cities, officials familiar with the matter said…
“Chicago’s a mess. You have an incompetent mayor. Grossly incompetent,” Trump said, in remarks that were immediately dismissed by Chicago’s leaders as unfounded. “And we’ll straighten that one out probably next. That’ll be our next one after this. And it won’t even be tough.”
Pritzker warned Trump against sending troops to his state.
What President Trump is doing is unprecedented and unwarranted. It is illegal. It is unconstitutional. It is un-American,” said Pritzker during a news conference where city, state, and federal officials addressed Trump’s plans for a Chicago military occupation.
This is not about fighting crime. This is about Donald Trump searching for any justification to deploy the military in a blue city, in a blue state, to try and to intimidate his political rivals.
There was a time when remarks like these from a sitting governor would have been met with accusations of partisan catastrophizing.
But no more.
Trump is clearly intent on taking revenge against any city and their predominantly blue voting blocs who have the gall not to worship at his feet and fomenting the kind of protests that will retroactively justify his militarization of law enforcement.
Unfortunately, many of his targeted cities are in our community.
Trump has floated the idea of sending troops into Baltimore, a city led by a Black mayor, Brandon Scott, in a state with a Black governor, Wes Moore.
With a duo like that, I’m genuinely surprised that Trump didn’t make Charm City his first target for takeover.
Perhaps it’s because there’s no tacky-ass Trump Tower in B-More that Trump decided for now to sidestep sending the National Guard there. Chicago has the misfortune of mistakenly letting Trump put his real estate stamp on an otherwise fantastic city.
Meanwhile, lawmakers in Michigan are proposing laws to prevent Trump from deploying troops to their cities, namely Detroit, which has a white mayor and seems to be safe from Trump’s racially induced wrath for the time being.
Still, any leader of a Postindustrial City that Trump deems insufficiently subservient to him, courteous to immigrants, and led by someone of color should prepare for the eventual arrival of federal troops to their streets in a show of dictatorial force.
Just do me a favor: when it happens, remember “I told you so.”
