Karoline Leavitt, White House Press Secretary | The White House
Karoline Leavitt, White House Press Secretary | The White House
Karoline Leavitt, the White House Press Secretary, said that Governor J.B. Pritzker is downplaying violent crime in Chicago. She cited long-running homicide statistics that place Chicago as the leading city for murders over the past 13 years.
"We've seen the Governor of Illinois parading out there saying there's nothing wrong with Chicago, it's a great place to live, there's no crime there, that he doesn't need President Trump's help," said Leavitt. "I think the residents of Chicago beg to differ. And the statistics beg to differ. For thirteen consecutive years, Chicago has had the most murders of any U.S. city. For seven consecutive years, Chicago has had the highest murder rate among U.S. cities with more than 1 million people."
According to AP News, Governor Pritzker has dismissed claims of a crime crisis in Chicago, asserting that the city has been actively "fighting crime." Pritzker said, "We want to make sure and show off that there’s no emergency happening in Chicago," rejecting President Trump's proposal to deploy the National Guard as unnecessary.
In 2024, Wirepoints reported that Chicago recorded 573 murders, marking the 13th consecutive year it had the highest total number of homicides among U.S. cities.
Leavitt also highlighted Chicago's per capita murder rate in 2024, stating it was triple that of Los Angeles and nearly five times higher than New York City’s—surpassing even Islamabad and Delhi—according to NBC News. With more than 147,000 crimes reported so far this year and arrests made in only 16% of cases, Leavitt described the city’s public safety situation as "unacceptable."
President Trump expressed his views on social media regarding Governor Pritzker's handling of crime in Chicago. On Tuesday, August 26, he posted on Truth Social media: "Panic stricken Governor Pritzker says that crime is under control when in fact it is just the opposite. He is an incompetent Governor who should call me for HELP." On Thursday, August 28, Trump further commented: "Governor Pritzker had 6 murders in Chicago this weekend. 20 people were shot. But he doesn’t want to ask me for help. Can this be possible? The people are desperate for me to STOP THE CRIME, something the Democrats aren’t capable of doing. STAY TUNED!!! President DJT."
According to her X profile, Karoline Leavitt serves as Assistant to President Trump and holds the position of White House Press Secretary.
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