Donald Trump is escalating his threat to deploy the National Guard in Democrat-run cities. 

He’s doing it under the guise of cracking down on crime, beginning with Washington DC. New York City, Los Angeles, Baltimore, and Chicago were among the cities singled out. 

The US President called Chicago a “mess”, and derided its mayor, Brandon Johnson, as “grossly incompetent”. 

The Illinois Governor, JB Pritzker, is hitting back at Trump, saying it’s not about fighting crime but rather finding an excuse to deploy the military and intimidate his political rivals. 

US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Mike Hosking that in the past, the National Guard has been temporarily deployed by state governors only, not the federal government, so this is all new.  

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