United States President Donald Trump has waded into Chicago’s latest wave of gun violence, taunting Illinois Governor JB Pritzker for not seeking federal assistance and claiming he could make the city safe within a month if given the chance.
In a post on his Truth Social platform on Sunday, Trump wrote: “Lots of Killing going on in Chicago. 22 people shot, at least 4 Dead. Why isn’t Governor Pritzker calling me for help.
I could make Chicago a safe City in ONE MONTH, in ONE YEAR, it would be one of the safest!!! D.C. went from one of the worst, to one of the safest cities in the U.S.”
However, Trump’s figures appear to understate the actual toll from Chicago’s Juneteenth extended holiday weekend.
At least six people were killed and 30 others wounded in shootings across Chicago during the extended holiday weekend, with victims ranging in age from 14 to 70, according to Chicago police.
By Sunday afternoon, at least 33 people had been shot, five fatally, in incidents tracked across the city from Friday evening.
Among the most significant incidents, a drive-by mass shooting on the South Side late Friday night left at least 12 people injured after two gunmen in a red SUV pulled alongside a large crowd in the 200 block of West 95th Street and opened fire. Victims ranged in age from 17 to 47.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said the city was opening an emergency assistance centre in the neighbourhood where the mass shooting occurred and that members of the city’s Crisis Assistance Response and Engagement programme would canvass the area.
“What should have been a night of celebration and community reflection for Juneteenth was shattered by a horrific act of violence,” Johnson said. “Violence has no place in our city, and those responsible will be held accountable.”
Trump’s post did not detail what federal intervention he had in mind, but his claim about Washington D.C. appears to reference actions taken during his administration.
The taunt at Pritzker, a Democrat who has been a vocal critic of the Trump administration, follows a pattern of the president using Chicago’s crime statistics as a political flashpoint against Democratic-run cities.
Governor Pritzker had not publicly responded to Trump’s post as of the time of filing.
(The Whistler)