Trump calls Chicago ‘out of control’ after train attack left woman critically burned
President Donald Trump on Tuesday said crime in Chicago is "out of control" and blasted so-called "liberal judges" after a woman was set on fire in the deep-blue city last...
By Fox News · Fox News
President Donald Trump on Tuesday said crime in Chicago is "out of control" and blasted so-called "liberal judges" after a woman was set on fire in the deep-blue city last week — allegedly by a man with 72 prior arrests who had been out on bond despite prosecutors calling for him to be incarcerated. Trump, speaking at the White House during the annual Thanksgiving turkey pardon, again called on Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson to allow National Guard troops to be deployed to the Windy City to tackle crime amid a wave of recent violent incidents. The president’s plea came a week after Bethany MaGee, 26, was allegedly set on fire by 50-year-old Lawrence Reed, who has spent decades cycling through the criminal justice system. Additionally, a teenager was fatally shot and at least eight others were injured after two shootings on Friday night in downtown Chicago. "This is a very serious thing," Trump said. "They burned this beautiful woman riding in a train. A man was arrested 72 times. 72 times. Think of that. And they'll let him out again, the liberal judges will let him out again." DEMOCRATS SLAM TRUMP FOR 'WAR' THREATS TARGETING US CITIES: 'NOT YOUR WAR ZONE' Trump for months has attempted to send troops to Chicago , as he has done in Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and Memphis, Tenn., to help curb violent crime. He has said those deployments caused crime to plummet. But Pritzker and Johnson have staunchly opposed deploying troops. They have called any deployment unconstitutional and insisted the city is not facing the kind of crime crisis the White House claims. The president has also floated invoking the Insurrection Act to tackle violent crime in Chicago. "But we're ready to go," Trump said Tuesday. "You know, we've been moving toward Chicago. We have a governor that thinks it's wonderful that only like seven people were killed this week... It’s horrible what's happening in Chicago." Trump said a federal response would make Chicago "tota…