WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that the U.S. military might deploy to Chicago and is ready to go anywhere on short notice to crack down on crime.
“We can go anywhere on less than 24 hours’ notice,” Trump said when asked whether the Pentagon was preparing for deployment to Chicago.
Trump said Chicago needs federal help to clean up the city but did not announce a decision.
“They need help. We may wait. We may or may not, we may just go in and do it, which is probably what we should do,” Trump told reporters who were in the Oval Office as he signed executive orders aimed at stopping criminal suspects from being released on cashless bail.
Trump has seized control of the police force in Washington and is allowing National Guard troops to carry weapons while on patrol in the city. He is threatening to expand the U.S. military presence to Democrat-controlled cities like Baltimore and Chicago.
(Reporting by Steve Holland; Writing by Katharine Jackson; Editing by Mark Porter and Chizu Nomiyama)
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