President Donald Trump lashed out at Illinois Democrats on Tuesday in a frenzied plea that they “ask” his administration for “help” combating crime, warning Democratic elected officials that his offer was quickly expiring.
“Chicago is suffering an unprecedented and particularly violent crime wave that is getting worse by the day,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social, despite recent data showing Chicago on track for its fewest homicides in more than 60 years.
“The Federal Government can extinguish it quickly and completely, but the Mayor of Chicago, or the Governor of Illinois, must ask for our help. What is wrong with them? Why aren’t they asking? TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!”
The first three quarters of 2026 saw a 3% decline in homicides in Chicago when compared with the same period last year, and a 29% decline from 2024. Should the homicide rate remain consistent, 2026 would mark the city’s fewest homicides in more than six decades, according to WTTW News Chicago.