In a Truth Social post on October 6, 2026, Trump said Chicago is “suffering an unprecedented and particularly violent crime wave that is getting worse by the day” and that “The Federal Government can extinguish it quickly and completely, but the Mayor of Chicago, or the Governor of Illinois, must ask for our help,” adding, “What is wrong with them? Why aren't they asking? TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!”
Chicago Police Department data show the opposite trend. Through the end of September there were 321 homicides in the city, 3% fewer than the same period in 2025 and 29% fewer than in 2024, putting Chicago on pace for fewer homicides than in 2025, which closed with the city's fewest recorded killings in 60 years, WTTW reported. September's 31 homicides were 14 fewer than a year earlier. The post followed a weekend of shootings that left two people dead, the Daily Beast reported.