President Donald Trump told Newsmax on Monday that Chicago will become a "safe city" again, crediting federal efforts and a renewed law-and-order push reminiscent of what he implemented in Washington.
On "Greg Kelly Reports," Trump said the key to restoring safety in U.S. cities is decisive action — including arresting violent offenders and, when necessary, deploying the National Guard to keep order.
"It's a great city, potentially a great city again. And they've got to fix it," Trump said of Chicago. "They've got to do what I did in Washington, D.C., which is the same thing on a larger scale. Washington, D.C., is now so safe. The restaurants are booming, the whole place. Nobody's being shot and killed. It's a safe city."
He added: "We arrested 1,700 career criminals. We got a lot of them out of the country, took them out — they're never coming back."
Trump said his administration's crackdown on violent crime in the nation's capital was proof that a firm law enforcement strategy can work.
He credited the FBI and other federal partners for helping drive down crime rates in Chicago but said the city still needs a "big surge" to finish the job.
"We've already had FBI in Chicago. They've done an incredible job. We got it down a little bit. But the big surge is what you need. And we're going to be going in. We're going to save Chicago," Trump said. "And that's what you have to do — save Chicago."
Trump contrasted his approach with that of Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a Democrat, whom he accused of downplaying the city's violence.
"You look at some of the bigger weekends and they'll have 11 dead, 50 shot. And then he gets up on television and tells everyone how safe it [Chicago] is," Trump said. "It's not safe. And we'll make it safe. I can make it safe. We can make it safe easily, and it won't even take that long."
He argued that local leaders too often "fight" federal help for political reasons, calling that resistance "a sickness."
Trump also touted previous interventions in other cities, saying his administration restored safety to Washington, Los Angeles, and Memphis, Tennessee, through decisive deployments of federal resources.
"We brought in the National Guard into D.C., and it went from a very unsafe city to one of the safest in the country. It took 12 days before the crime really stopped," he said.
Trump credited the guard's effectiveness to merit-based leadership and a refusal to bow to political correctness.
"These people are there for merit. They look like soldiers. And they went in and they just cleaned it up," he said. "They're doing the same thing right now in Memphis, Tennessee. They're doing a great job."
He added that Los Angeles, California, under Gov. Gavin Newsom, narrowly avoided catastrophe due to federal intervention.
"We literally saved Los Angeles from burning to the ground," Trump said.
Trump closed his remarks by expressing optimism about Chicago's future — if city and state leaders allow the federal government to help.
"It's a great city, potentially a great city again," he said. "We're going to make it safe. And once it's safe, it'll thrive again."
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