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MSNBC host Joe Scarborough urged Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a Democrat, to do something “radical” Tuesday — partner with President Donald Trump to address violent crime in Chicago.
Over the past few weeks, Trump has repeatedly suggested sending the National Guard to Chicago after deploying hundreds of federal troops to Washington, D.C., to combat crime. Pritzker has pushed back, calling the idea “a dangerous power grab.”
Though Scarborough agreed that Trump likely lacks the constitutional authority to deploy the National Guard in Chicago, he argued on “Morning Joe” that Pritzker should, at the very least, be open to working with the president.
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“I actually think that JB Pritzker should do something radical,” Scarborough said. “I think he should pick up the phone, call the president, and say, ‘You know, and I know you don’t have the constitutional authority to deploy the National Guard here and to police my [city]. You can do that in D.C. You can’t do that in Chicago. But let’s partner up.’”
Scarborough’s comments came after reports that at least 58 people were shot and eight killed in Chicago over the Labor Day weekend, despite both Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson insisting the city did not need federal assistance.
The MSNBC host criticized both Democratic leaders for downplaying crime.
“Because right now, just the ‘Hey, nothing to see here,’ moving along, no problem here, ‘Hey Donald Trump, we don’t need you,’ and the mayor talking about ‘we’re going to protect people’s dignity in our city.’ Well, protect their lives! That’s protecting their dignity!” Scarborough said.
He added, “It would be radical for us to figure out a way to actually do what I’ve been saying from the very beginning [with] Washington, and that is seeing politicians creating partnerships that protect their people.”
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Fox News Digital reached out to Pritzker’s office for comment.
Johnson signed an executive order Friday rejecting Trump’s threat to deploy federal troops or the National Guard.
“We do not need nor want an unconstitutional and illegal military occupation of our city,” Johnson said, vowing that Chicago would “do everything in our power to defend our democracy and protect our communities.”
Days before signing the order, Johnson repeatedly dodged questions from Scarborough about whether more police officers on the street would reduce crime in Chicago.
Fox News’ Jasmine Baehr contributed to this report.
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