Trump says Chicago is the likely next target of his efforts to crack down on crime

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Friday said Chicago will likely be the next target of his efforts to crack down on crime, homelessness and illegal immigration.

Trump indicated that the Midwestern city could receive similar treatment to what he’s done in Washington, D.C., where he’s deployed 2,000 troops on the streets.

“I think Chicago will be our next,” Trump told reporters at the White House, later adding, “And then we’ll help with New York.”

The comments came as the Pentagon on Friday began ordering troops in Washington to carry firearms, though there have been no overt indications they have faced threats that would require them to carry weapons.

Trump has repeatedly described some of the nation’s largest cities — run by Democrats, with Black mayors and majority-minority populations — as dangerous and filthy.

He singled out Chicago on Friday, calling it a “mess” and saying residents there are “screaming for us to come.”

“We’ll straighten that one out probably next. That will be our next one after this,” Trump said.

The president, who was sitting in the Oval Office and wearing a red hat that said, “Trump Was Right About Everything,” claimed people in Chicago are “wearing red hats just like this one.”

He added, “African American ladies, beautiful ladies, are saying, ‘Please, President Trump, come to Chicago, please.’”