(The Center Square) – President Donald Trump says Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker is a “loser” and that the city needs the military “desperately” to restore law and order.
Pritzker is preparing to go to court if the military is deployed.
Trump told members of the military Tuesday morning that multiple murders a week in Chicago has the city and Pritzker on his radar.
“And he’s always up there saying ‘we’re in, we’re in good shape, we don’t need the military,’” Trump said. “No, they need the military, desperately.”
In the aftermath of skirmishes between ICE and protesters, Trump said “if they spit, we hit.” He later called Pritzker a “loser.”
“The family threw him out of the business because he’s a loser,” Trump said at a separate event Tuesday. “But we have to listen to Pritzker get up. He should call me and say, ‘get the troops.’ You ever you hear that? Eleven people over a week and a half killed. And I think it’s 48. When you add it up, 48 people shot. And then I have to listen to a governor say ‘how nice it is. It’s a wonderful experience.’”
Pritzker suggested Trump is suffering from dementia. He said the Trump administration enforcing federal law is scaring people.
“They deserve peace, that is why [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] needs to back off and that is why the president of the United States should not send troops to the state of Illinois,” Pritzker said Tuesday afternoon after an unrelated event.
Illinois House Republicans say Pritzker continues to use incendiary rhetoric focused on federal immigration officials enforcing federal law in and around Chicago. Pritzker has encouraged protests, saying residents should show up, film and narrate what they see.
House Minority Leader Tony McCombie, R-Savanna, said Pritzker should instead encourage people to cooperate and get out of the way.
“If there is something going on there, why is the governor sending citizens to this site? Why is he not sending law enforcement, his law enforcement under his jurisdiction,” McCombie said during a virtual news conference.
Republicans said Pritzker isn’t making an argument that enforcing immigration law is illegal, just drumming up opposition.
Pritzker said ICE should just leave Chicago alone.
“We need comprehensive immigration reform, that is what will matter and what we can do when it comes to troops being sent into Chicago and to the state of Illinois is to immediately go to court,” Pritzker said.
Pritzker still didn’t have details about when troops would be deployed.
