President Donald Trump's threat to send federal troops to Chicago to address local crime could create an "ugly showdown" between federal and state lawmakers, according to a new editorial.
On Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal's conservative editorial board published an op-ed arguing that Trump's threat to send troops to Chicago could be a "risky escalation" in his fight against crime. The editorial contends that Trump appears to be winning the fight with lawmakers in Washington, D.C., as they're applauding the move.
"President Trump suggests Chicago is next for his political clash with Democrats on crime, but Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker promise to resist, and it could be an ugly showdown," the editorial board wrote.
The editorial board argued that Trump appears to be baiting Pritzker and Johnson to increase the likelihood of a protest against the presence of federal officers becoming violent. That would give Trump the legal authority to officially deploy the troops, instead of stationing them at federal properties as he is now, the editorial continued.
"Most Americans want cops on the beat, not soldiers in the streets," the editorial added. "Governors sometimes deploy their own National Guard units to back up law enforcement, as when New York Gov. Kathy Hochul sent troops into the subways last year, but that’s state action and can be exempt from Posse Comitatus."
"For Mr. Trump to declare an insurrection to send in federal troops over the objections of an elected Governor would be a risky escalation," it continued.