WASHINGTON — Not Above the Law coalition co-chairs are condemning Donald Trump’s escalating threats of military action against Chicago, recently illustrated by an embarrassing and disgraceful AI-generated meme depicting him in military fatigues with the Chicago skyline in flames behind him.
The Not Above the Law coalition’s co-chairs – Lisa Gilbert, Co-President of Public Citizen; Praveen Fernandes, Vice President of the Constitutional Accountability Center; Kelsey Herbert, Campaign Director at MoveOn; and Brett Edkins, Managing Director for Policy and Political Affairs at Stand Up America – issued the below response to Trump’s dangerous theatrics:
“While Trump’s AI-generated delusions might appear absurd on the surface, the real-world threats are deadly serious. By portraying himself as a made-for-the-big-screen military strongman against the backdrop of a burning American city, Trump is revealing the depth of his authoritarian ambitions and warning every city in America: defy him and face the consequences.
“Threatening the safety of American civilians is not a joke. Threatening to wage war on an American city is beyond the pale. That this threat was made by the President of the United States is unthinkable. Trump’s playbook—fabricate a crisis, weaponize law enforcement and the military, and crush local opposition—is shared by despots around the world. Leaders in Congress and governors across the political spectrum must act now to protect our constitutional rights and stop Trump’s militarized takeovers before they spread nationwide.”
Read more from the NBC News below:
NBC News: ‘Chipocalypse Now’: Trump Threatens Chicago With Deportations And Department Of War Ahead Of Potential Crackdown
President Donald Trump on Saturday posted what appeared to be an AI-created image of himself in front of the Chicago skyline with helicopters, flames and the phrase “Chipocalypse Now.” The president’s post appeared to threaten Chicago with troops and deportations, igniting pushback from Democratic leaders in Illinois.
“‘I love the smell of deportations in the morning…’ Chicago about to find out why it’s called the Department of WAR,” read the president’s post on Truth Social, appearing to reference the 1979 film “Apocalypse Now,” which depicts America’s war in Vietnam.
The post also appeared to reference an executive order that Trump signed on Friday rebranding the Defense Department as the Department of War and the defense secretary as the secretary of war.
It also comes as officials in Illinois warn that the president could soon order troops, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and other federal law enforcement officers to Chicago in an attempt to execute mass deportations and crack down on crime.
“The President of the United States is threatening to go to war with an American city. This is not a joke,” Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a Democrat, wrote in a post on X on Saturday, responding to Trump’s post. “This is not normal. Donald Trump isn’t a strongman, he’s a scared man. Illinois won’t be intimidated by a wannabe dictator.”
Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., spoke to reporters while attending Mexican Independence Day celebrations in Chicago, calling Trump’s post “disgusting.” […]
Trump in recent weeks has threatened to deploy National Guard troops and federal law enforcement agents to several cities across the U.S. that are run by Democratic mayors, including Baltimore and New Orleans.