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President Donald Trump on Monday suggested that several major U.S. cities could face federal intervention following his administration’s decision to take control of the Washington, D.C., police department, citing concerns over crime and homelessness.
During a White House press briefing, Trump named Baltimore, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and Oakland, California, as cities that could be next in line for federal oversight.
“We have other cities also that are bad. Very bad,” Trump said, standing beside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Attorney General Pam Bondi.
“You look at Chicago, how bad it is. You look at Los Angeles, how bad it is. We have other cities that are very bad. New York has a problem. And then you have, of course, Baltimore and Oakland. We don’t even mention that anymore there,” he added.
Trump said the situation in these cities had deteriorated to a point where federal action may be necessary. “They’re so far gone. We’re not going to let it happen. We’re not going to lose our cities over this,” he said.
The president singled out Chicago, saying his administration is considering deploying the military there. He also mocked Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, a Democrat, in the process.
“If we need to, we’re gonna do the same thing in Chicago, which is a disaster,” Trump said. “We have a mayor there who is totally incompetent. He’s an incompetent man. And we have an incompetent governor there. Pritzker’s an incompetent. His family threw him out of the business. And he ran for governor. And now I understand he wants to be president. But I noticed he lost a little weight, so now he has a chance.”
Trump also criticized Democratic leaders in California over their response to recent wildfires, warning, “Hopefully LA is watching.”
The news comes as Metropolitan Police Department union chairman Gregg Pemberton on Monday voiced support for Trump’s decision to take federal control of the department and deploy the National Guard in Washington, D.C.
“We stand with the President in recognizing that Washington, D.C., cannot continue on this trajectory. Crime is out of control, and our officers are stretched beyond their limits,” he stated, according to The Hill. “The federal intervention is a critical stopgap, but the MPD needs proper staffing and support to thrive.”
