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President Donald Trump on Saturday gave possibly his strongest hint yet that he may deploy federal troops to Chicago by posting a parody meme of himself as a commander at war with Chicago. The post drew a swift rebuke from Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and other officials who said it amounted to a threat.
In the image, Trump, known to provoke his opponents with his savvy use of social media, is styled as Robert Duvall’s character in “Apocalypse Now,” a Vietnam War epic about a decorated U.S. officer who has gone rogue deep in the Cambodian jungle.
“I love the smell of deportations in the morning…” Trump wrote above the image, a play on the famous quote from the hit 1979 film.
“Chicago is about to find out why it’s called the Department of WAR,” he wrote, followed by three helicopter emoji. It came a day after he signed an executive order changing the Defense Department’s name to the Department of War.
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Trump shared a digitally altered meme depicting himself as a commander “at war” with Chicago, drawing backlash from Illinois leaders. (President Donald Trump via Truth Social)
The post appeared aimed at provoking Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, who have both strongly opposed Trump’s threats to activate the National Guard in the Windy City to clamp down on crime and help enhance immigration enforcement efforts.
In the image, Trump is dressed in military fatigues resembling Duvall’s character, Lt. Col. Bill Kilgore, a flamboyant and fearless air cavalry officer who leads a helicopter air assault on a Vietnamese village.
Helicopters fly over the Chicago skyline in a fiery background, evoking Vietnam War scenes.
The text “Chipocalypse Now” is scrawled on the bottom of the image, a riff on “Apocalypse Now,” with “Chi” referring to Chicago.
Trump’s goading appeared to work. Within an hour, Pritzker shot back, with…
