US president Donald Trump on Sunday snapped at a reporter after she pressed him on whether he was preparing to “go to war” with Chicago. The question came a day after Trump shared a meme warning that the city would soon learn about the newly renamed “Department of War.”
Trump, speaking to reporters before heading to New York for the US Open, dismissed the question with, “When you say that, darling, that’s fake news.”
When she tried to continue, he cut her off sharply. “Be quiet, listen! You don’t listen! You never listen. That’s why you’re second-rate,” Trump told the NNC reporter. “We’re not going to war, we’re gonna clean up our cities. We’re gonna clean them up, so they don’t kill five people every weekend. That’s not war, that’s common sense.”
Pressed on why Chicago was being singled out, Trump pointed to its recent homicide figures. “Do you know how many people were killed in Chicago last weekend? Eight. The week before? Seven. Do you know how many were wounded? Seventy-four people,” he said.
Trump’s Truth Social post on Saturday featured an Apocalypse Now-style meme that read, “I love the smell of deportations in the morning. Chicago is about to find out why it’s called the Department of WAR.”
Just a day earlier, Trump had signed an executive order to restore the Pentagon’s old name, Department of War, from the pre-World War II era. He has also floated sending the National Guard into Chicago, Baltimore, and New Orleans to tackle violent crime. Last month, he deployed troops in Washington, DC, and even took control of the city’s police department.
But legal challenges are mounting. A federal judge recently ruled that Trump broke the law by sending the Guard into Los Angeles without state approval.
Trump, speaking to reporters before heading to New York for the US Open, dismissed the question with, “When you say that, darling, that’s fake news.”
When she tried to continue, he cut her off sharply. “Be quiet, listen! You don’t listen! You never listen. That’s why you’re second-rate,” Trump told the NNC reporter. “We’re not going to war, we’re gonna clean up our cities. We’re gonna clean them up, so they don’t kill five people every weekend. That’s not war, that’s common sense.”
.@POTUS BODIES @Yamiche for asking if we're "going to war with Chicago":
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) September 7, 2025
"You never listen. That's why you're second-rate. We're not going to war. We're going to clean up our cities... so they don't kill five people every weekend. That's not war. That's common sense." 🔥 pic.twitter.com/SJluB8lbyX
Pressed on why Chicago was being singled out, Trump pointed to its recent homicide figures. “Do you know how many people were killed in Chicago last weekend? Eight. The week before? Seven. Do you know how many were wounded? Seventy-four people,” he said.
Trump’s Truth Social post on Saturday featured an Apocalypse Now-style meme that read, “I love the smell of deportations in the morning. Chicago is about to find out why it’s called the Department of WAR.”
Just a day earlier, Trump had signed an executive order to restore the Pentagon’s old name, Department of War, from the pre-World War II era. He has also floated sending the National Guard into Chicago, Baltimore, and New Orleans to tackle violent crime. Last month, he deployed troops in Washington, DC, and even took control of the city’s police department.
But legal challenges are mounting. A federal judge recently ruled that Trump broke the law by sending the Guard into Los Angeles without state approval.
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