Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) said Monday that "there's nothing normal" about Donald Trump suggesting Chicago would "find out why it's called the Department of WAR," as the President faces backlash over a social post that critics read as threatening military action against an American city.
Tim Walz Rebukes Post Citing ‘Department of War'
Walz on Saturday took to X to state, "There's nothing normal about the President declaring war on an American city."
His remark followed a Saturday Truth Social message in which Trump blended a movie reference with immigration enforcement. "I love the smell of deportations in the morning… Chicago about to find out why it's called the Department of WAR," the President wrote.
The post also featured what appears to be an artificially generated image of the president in a hat and sunglasses against the Chicago skyline, accompanied by the text "Chipocalypse Now."
Trump Walks Back War Rhetoric, Promises City Cleanup
As per a NYT report, speaking to reporters Sunday, Trump walked back the war overtones. "We're not going to war. We're going to clean up our cities," he said. The flare-up came one day after Trump signed an executive order authorizing the Pentagon to use "Department of War" as a secondary title, reviving a pre-1949 label in official communications, while Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth drafts steps to make the rebranding permanent.
Chicago Braces For Raids As Democrats Threaten Pushback
Trump's post marked an escalation in rhetoric amid his broader push to deploy federal agents and National Guard units to Democratic-led cities he has called "hellholes," according to the Associated Press.
Trump has also specifically ramped up his rhetoric against the country's third most populous city. CNN last week reported that the Trump administration plans a major immigration enforcement operation in Chicago and officials there were bracing for it to begin as early as Friday. White House officials told the news broadcaster that personnel from Immigration and Border Protection, as well as Customs and Border Protection, have begun trickling into the city in recent days.
Democrats have sharply criticized Trump’s Saturday social media message, summing up their thoughts on social media, according to Fox News. California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) called it a use of troops “like political pawns”, while Illinois leaders, including Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D), Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), denounced the tone and hinted at legal challenges if troops were sent.
Photo: Shutterstock/Lev Radin
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