A social media post by U.S. President Donald Trump has been interpreted by Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker as a threat of war against a city within the country itself.

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“The President of the United States is threatening to go to war with an American city. This is not a joke. This is not normal. Donald Trump isn’t a strongman, he’s a scared man. Illinois won’t be intimidated by a wannabe dictator,” the governor wrote on his X account.

Earlier, President Trump shared a parody image of himself referencing the movie Apocalypse Now and stating that he loves “the smell of deportations in the morning” and that the city of Chicago is “about to find out why it’s called the Department of War.”

These remarks also received backlash from Chicago’s mayor, Brandon Johnson, who said Trump’s threats are “beneath the honor” of the United States and that, in reality, what he seeks is the occupation of Chicago and the violation of the Constitution.

The U.S. president’s statements come amid tensions over his previously announced intention to send the National Guard to Chicago, a place he alleges is one of the most unsafe in the world. However, statistics show that this year the city has reached its lowest homicide rate since 1965, and overall violent crime remains near its lowest point in more than four decades.

“We must defend our democracy from this authoritarianism by protecting each other and protecting Chicago from Donald Trump,” Johnson emphasized.

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