President Donald Trump announced earlier this month that he was federalizing the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C., and deploying the National Guard there in order to “re-establish law, order, and public safety.” While liberal pundits rushed to condemn the move, results followed quickly. Since Trump took action, violent crime in D.C. reportedly is down 45%, and carjackings are down 87%.

Having demonstrated how fast order returns when leaders act, Trump is looking to extend help to other cities drowning in violence. Chicago is top of mind as new reports show another wave of shootings and a city leadership more focused on political posturing than protecting residents. The president is signaling that failure is not an option.

During a press conference last week, Democrat Illinois Governor JB Pritzker criticized Trump’s efforts to make cities safer, claiming what Trump is doing “is illegal, it is unconstitutional, it is un-American.” He escalated with a warning: “Mr. President, do not come to Chicago. You are neither wanted here nor needed here.”

Trump answered with facts and a promise. “Six people were killed, and 24 people were shot, in Chicago last weekend, and JB Pritzker, the weak and pathetic Governor of Illinois, just said that he doesn’t need help in preventing CRIME.” He added, “He is CRAZY!!! He better straighten it out, FAST, or we’re coming!”

Chicago’s grim reality backs up the urgency. Police indicated that as of Sunday morning, at least 32 people had been shot in the city — three fatally. Among the victims was a 43-year-old woman reportedly riddled with bullets by five male suspects. City data paints the larger picture: at least 266 murders, 1,141 reported sexual assaults, 4,003 robberies, 10,774 motor vehicle thefts, 11,488 felony thefts, and 3,971 burglaries so far this year.

Residents are losing patience with failed leadership. Mayor Brandon Johnson sits at 26% approval according to a recent poll by the Mansueto Institute for Urban Innovation and the National Opinion Research Center, both at the University of Chicago. Instead of welcoming help, he signed an executive order “denouncing any attempts to deploy the United States Armed Forces and/or the National Guard and/or militarized civil immigration enforcement in Chicago.”

In that order, Johnson demanded that Trump and agents under his authority “stand down from any attempts” to deploy troops in the city and vowed to keep the Chicago Police Department under mayoral control. He even said federal agents and troops cannot wear masks while performing their duties. “We have received credible reports that we have days, not weeks before our city sees some type of militarized activity by the federal government,” Johnson said. “We must take immediate, drastic action to protect our people from federal overreach.”

The White House dismissed Johnson’s move as theatrics. “If these Democrats focused on fixing crime in their own cities instead of doing publicity stunts to criticize the President, their communities would be much safer,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in a statement to the Independent. “Cracking down on crime should not be a partisan issue, but Democrats suffering from \[Trump Derangement Syndrome] are trying to make it one.”

Chicago’s broader challenges underline the stakes. The city has ranked atop Orkin’s list of America’s rattiest cities for ten years and holds a 5-rating on Neighborhood Scout’s crime index where 100 is safest. Meanwhile, car thefts, robberies, and assaults continue to rattle neighborhoods that deserve security, not slogans.

Trump’s record is clear: act decisively, back the cops, and restore order. The immediate impact in the nation’s capital shows what’s possible when leaders stop making excuses. Chicago can choose cooperation and safety, or it can cling to failed politics while families pay the price.

This is a moment for courage, not grandstanding. If local leaders refuse to protect their citizens, the federal government has a duty to step in. Law-abiding Chicagoans deserve streets as safe as D.C.’s are becoming. Stand with the president’s plan to crush crime—because every American city deserves peace, and help is on the way.