Donald Trump caused a huge uproar after he threatened to use what he now calls the “Department of War” against an American city. Many people reacted with anger, and one critic even said this could be a reason to remove him from office.
After staying silent all morning, Trump went on his social media platform, Truth Social, and posted a meme based on the movie *Apocalypse Now*. In the original film, a character talks about loving the smell of napalm after a long bombing. Trump edited it to show himself with Chicago burning in the background, saying, “I love the smell of deportations in the morning,” and added, “Chicago about to find out why it’s called the Department of WAR.”
Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker was furious and said that the President of the United States was threatening war on an American city. He warned that this was not a joke and not something normal, calling Trump a scared man pretending to be strong. He made it clear that Illinois would not be bullied.
Others also spoke out. Journalist Mehdi Hasan said the president was basically declaring a real war on a U.S. city just because it was run by his political rivals, and in the past, such behavior would be a reason for impeachment. NBC reporter Lawrence Hurley pointed out how dangerous it is to go from harming people overseas to threatening the same at home. Author Jon Wesley Huff said this was extremely un-American and abnormal, warning that people should not ignore such behavior.
Illinois congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh said Trump was targeting Chicago because it has many Black and Brown residents, and she vowed to fight back. Aaron Reichlin-Melnick from the American Immigration Council said Trump’s post shows the planned raids in Chicago are more about deporting immigrants than fighting crime. Former Obama official Eric Columbus mocked Trump by comparing his taste in war-like imagery to dictators.
Alejandra Caraballo from Harvard Law said this kind of language could lead to civil conflict. Senator Tammy Duckworth, a war veteran, criticized Trump personally, telling him to stop pretending to be a soldier since he never served and calling his act “stolen valor.”
