Federal officials confirmed Sunday that the Pentagon has developed plans to deploy National Guard troops to Chicago, marking the next phase of President Trump’s expanding military operations in Democratic-controlled cities across the nation.
A US official informed ABC News that military planners have prepared for the Chicago deployment after Trump indicated the city would follow Washington D.C. in receiving federal military intervention.
The announcement comes as Trump simultaneously threatens Baltimore with similar action.
Pentagon officials declined to provide specific details about the Chicago operation when contacted for comment.
A Department spokesperson stated they would not speculate on future deployments while confirming continuous planning efforts with agency partners.
“The Department is a planning organization and is continuously working with other agency partners on plans to protect federal assets and personnel,” the Pentagon representative told the Daily Mail.
“We won’t speculate on further operations.”
The White House referenced Trump’s previous statements about Chicago when asked about the deployment plans.
Trump had specifically targeted the city’s leadership during recent public remarks about expanding military operations.
“Chicago is a mess,” Trump said.
“You have an incompetent mayor — grossly incompetent. And we’ll straighten that one out probably next. That will be our next one