Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson have fired back at President Donald Trump following his public call for their arrest, amid the deployment of military troops to the city.
The confrontation escalated after Mr Trump posted on Truth Social, declaring: “Chicago mayor should be in jail for failing to protect ICE officers! Governor Pritzker also!”
On Tuesday, 200 troops from the Texas National Guard arrived in Illinois, fulfilling weeks of threats by the president to send in military forces to clamp down on crime and immigration protests in Chicago.
Governor Pritzker, visibly defiant, responded on X: “I will not back down. Trump is now calling for the arrest of elected representatives checking his power. What else is left on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?”
Mayor Brandon Johnson, who has been vocal in his criticism of the president, said: “This is not the first time Trump has tried to have a black man unjustly arrested. I’m not going anywhere.”
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday afternoon, Governor Pritzker intensified his stance, directly challenging the president: “This is a convicted felon who is threatening to jail me. This guy is unhinged. He’s insecure. He’s a wannabe dictator.”
He added pointedly: “There’s one thing I really want to say to Donald Trump: if you come for my people, you come through me. So come and get me.”
The war of words marks a dramatic escalation in tensions between the White House and Chicago officials. Earlier in the week, city leaders filed a lawsuit in a failed attempt to block the deployment of federal troops on the streets.
President Trump has hinted at invoking the Insurrection Act to authorise further military action, while his administration continues to label several U.S. cities as “war zones.”
