Trump urges Illinois governor to request federal help for Chicago violence

At 3:45 a.m., President Trump used Truth Social to criticize Chicago’s crime surge, noting 41 shootings and three deaths in a recent weekend and urging Governor JB Pritzker to request federal assistance. He argued that without a “fine-tuned crime-fighting machine,” the city could deteriorate, and suggested the mayor or governor should invite the federal government to help. The message came after Trump seemed to fall asleep during a health-policy briefing with officials including Howard Lutnick, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Dr. Mehmet Oz.

Trump has a history of pressuring Pritzker, claiming he could replicate his D.C. National Guard deployment to curb violence, though studies show that action reduced property crime but not violent offenses. Pritzker has dismissed the president’s offers, questioning his competence on security matters. One outlet adds to a pattern of Trump’s late-night Truth Social activity, which analysts say may indicate insufficient sleep.