Trump’s legal authority to dispatch the Guard against a state governor’s wishes was also dealt a major blow on Tuesday when a federal judge in San Francisco ruled the administration broke the law by sending troops to Los Angeles in June to help quell protests against the government’s immigration raids.
Pritzker labelled Trump’s comments “unhinged” and said he would not call the president to ask him to send troops to Chicago.
National Guard troops on patrol in Washington DC.Credit: AP
But he accepted it had been an “unsettling and difficult” time for his state amid the violence and rumours about how Trump would respond.
“Chicago does not want troops on our streets,” he said, adding that he had tried to co-ordinate with Trump’s administration previously, only to have the “rug pulled out from underneath” when it came time to deliver.
“I refuse to play a reality game show with Donald Trump again,” Pritzker said. “What I want are the federal dollars that have been promised to Illinois and Chicago for violence prevention programs that have proven to work.”
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Despite the looming legal showdown with constitutional implications, much media attention was focused on Trump’s physical appearance during his first in-person media event in a week – a relatively long absence for a president who usually appears every day or second day.
Trump was photographed on the weekend arriving at the Trump National Golf Club in Virginia for a round of golf. Posts were also regularly appearing on his social media platform during his public absence.
Along with images of bruising on his hand, the absence prompted speculation about Trump’s health, and even unfounded internet rumours that he had died.
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Trump rejected concerns about his health, noting that he conducted an hour-long interview with The Daily Caller on Friday, and that it was a long weekend. He also noted his predecessor, Joe Biden, rarely held press conferences.
“I was very active over the weekend… It’s fake news,” Trump said.
In July, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said bruising on the president’s hand was due to minor soft tissue irritation from frequent hand-shaking and the use of aspirin to aid cardiovascular health.
He also had chronic venous insufficiency, a common and relatively benign condition that led to swelling in his lower legs. Trump “remains in excellent health”, she said.
