‘My position changed over the past week’: The Chicagoans who want Trump to send in the National Guard

CHICAGO, Ill. — The timing of when President Donald Trump will deploy the National Guard into the city was top of mind at the event hosted by Chicago Flips Red at Trump Tower. The Trump-supporting group has been part of the vocal locals who want the president to help Chicago reduce the crime rate.

It is still unknown when troops will be sent in. There are reports about preparations being made to house federal immigration agents at Naval Station Great Lakes, located about an hour north of downtown. Trump mulled the possibility of sending troops to New Orleans, Louisiana, first. Whenever the deployment happens, the event’s attendees say they are ready.

‘Chicago will continue to have a “violence problem” as long as Red states continue to have a gun problem.’

“My position changed over the past week. I’ve been debating people for years that Chicago’s not that dangerous,” criminal defense lawyer Jason Epstein admitted to Blaze News. “What I did not know is that Chicago’s overall crime is [down], but murder jumped up.”

Per capita, Chicago’s homicide rate is number seven at 28.7 per 100,000 people.

Epstein used to campaign for Democrats like Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and former President Barack Obama, but he voted for Trump in 2024, in part due to the Biden-Harris border crisis and lack of public safety in major cities.

“The fact that [Trump] did such an excellent job in D.C., it is a huge affront to any claims that it’s a military takeover. It is a huge affront to any politician trying to tell you that ‘we don’t need it.’ … [Trump] is looking to do good, which is why I’m here now,” he continued.

CFR attendees later broke out into a “We want the National Guard!” chant.

RELATED: Mayor Johnson remains defiant on Trump’s pending National Guard deployment amid violent weekend

CFR member Danielle Carter Walters previously blasted Governor JB Pritzker (D) and Mayor Brandon Johnson (D) for continually rejecting Trump’s offer to help the city.

“Let’s ask President Trump, when are we going to make treason great again? Because these people need to go to prison for treason. We need to make treason great again. … These people have no clue of what’s going on — well, they do, but they don’t care,” Walters said.

In response to the more than 50 people shot over Labor Day weekend, Johnson blamed the violence in his city on Republican states having greater gun rights.

“Chicago will continue to have a ‘violence problem’ as long as Red states continue to have a gun problem,” Johnson posted on X. “The endless flow of illegal guns into Chicago can be traced to Red states like Mississippi, Indiana, and Louisiana. It is up to the federal government to step up and stop interstate gun trafficking networks.”

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