President Donald Trump recently stated that “African-American ladies… beautiful ladies” have been urging him to expand federal troop deployments to Chicago, following his show of force in Washington, D.C.
“They are wearing red hats, just like this one. But they are wearing red hats. African American ladies, beautiful ladies are saying, Please, President Trump, come to Chicago, please,” Trump said Friday from the Oval Office.
“I did great with the Black vote, as you know. And they want something to happen. So I think Chicago will be our next, and then we will help with New York.”
A Chicago-based personal trainer and conservative influencer now says she believes the president was speaking about her and her political group.
“We knew he had been listening to us,” Danielle Carter-Walters told the Chicago Sun-Times on Sunday. “When I saw it, I said, ‘Oh wow.’ We’ve been asking for it in our videos. Now he’s doing it.”
Carter-Walters, who co-founded the grassroots group Chicago Flips Red, defended Trump’s use of federal forces in the capital. “I mean, if you’ve got the National Guard right there, are you going to rob somebody right there in front of the National Guard? No, you’re not,” she told CBS Chicago.
Her group is relatively small, with about half a dozen core members, but she has had national exposure. In April, Carter-Walters testified before Congress during a hearing on sanctuary cities.
While Trump has not mentioned her by name, Carter-Walters expressed gratitude on social media. “Thank you @realDonaldTrump for listening to @FlipChicagoRed. We truly appreciate everything you’re doing to Make America Great Again. P.S.-Please send in the Feds too!” she wrote on X.
Trump raised the issue of Chicago while discussing the federal deployment in Washington, which he has called a success. The most notable increase in arrests during the operation, however, has been for immigration-related offenses. Reports suggest the Pentagon is preparing to send troops to Chicago as early as September. Trump has argued he has the authority to conduct “takeovers” of U.S. cities beyond Washington, D.C.
Despite his claims, Guard troops in D.C. have largely been seen patrolling casually, even posing for photos with tourists, according to the Washington Post.
Following Trump’s comments about Chicago, he also criticized Lisa Cook, the only Black member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, as well as Maryland Governor Wes Moore, the nation’s only current Black governor. He declined Moore’s invitation to visit Baltimore.
Trump’s remarks have drawn strong pushback from Illinois leaders. Governor JB Pritzker posted on X: “Illinois has long worked with federal law enforcement to tackle crime, but we won’t let a dictator impose his will.”
Lieutenant Governor Julianna Stratton echoed that sentiment, tweeting: “If Trump wants to take his ego trip on tour, he picked the wrong city. Chicago doesn’t bow down to kings or roll out the red carpet for dictators. As a Black woman from the South Side, I can assure you @realdonaldtrump, your political circus isn’t welcome here.”
Chicago Mayor Brandon Scott also spoke out on MSNBC: “We’re not gonna surrender our humanity to this tyrant. The city of Chicago has a long history of standing up against tyranny—resisting those who wish to undermine the interests of working people. We’re not gonna back down. We’re not gonna cower. We’re not gonna bend. We’re not gonna break. We’re Chicago.”
Democratic congressional candidate Kat Abugazelah added, “This is what weak men do to pretend they’re strong.”
In reality, Trump cannot deploy National Guard troops into U.S. states for law enforcement without a governor’s consent. His authority in D.C. is different because the Guard reports directly to the president. Federal law only allows him to federalize state units under specific conditions.
Public opinion in Washington remains strongly opposed to the military presence. A Washington Post/Schar School poll this week found nearly 80 percent of residents disapprove of the federal takeover.
Since troops were deployed, at least one person has been hospitalized after an armored vehicle ran a red light and hit a civilian car. Other reports describe small clashes between residents and federal agents conducting patrols, arrests, and checkpoints.
