Donald Trump, the President of the United States, hinted at a large-scale immigrant crackdown in Chicago and the deployment of military forces, borrowing scenes and dialogue from the movie “Apocalypse Now.” The governor and mayor, both Democrats, strongly opposed the idea.
On the 6th (local time), President Trump posted a doctored image titled “Chipocalypse Now” on Truth Social. This expression seems to be a combination of the original movie title “Apocalypse Now” with “Chicago.”
In the post, he altered a famous movie line to say, “I love the smell of deportation in the morning” and added, “Chicago will soon find out why it’s called the Department of WAR.” The day before, on the 5th, President Trump signed an executive order to rename the Department of Defense to the ‘Department of WAR,’ and the department immediately reflected this change on its website and other official channels.
In the parody image of “Apocalypse Now,” President Trump is shown wearing military attire, including a U.S. cavalry hat and sunglasses, looking at military helicopters flying over downtown Chicago and Lake Michigan.
In the original movie, Colonel Kilgore (played by Robert Duvall) makes a famous statement, “I love the smell of napalm in the morning,” after attacking a village on a burning beach.
Governor JB Pritzker of Illinois immediately opposed President Trump’s post. He criticized on Twitter, stating, “The President of the United States is threatening war on an American city. This is neither a joke nor normal.” He added, “Trump is not a strongman; he is just a frightened man, and Illinois will not be intimidated by a dictator.”
Brandon Johnson, the Mayor of Chicago, also responded, saying, “The President’s threat discredits the nation,” and “He intends to occupy our city and undermine the Constitution. We must protect each other and Chicago to defend democracy.”
As the controversy grew, President Trump met with reporters on the 7th and explained, “I am not trying to wage war but to cleanse the city.”
Previously, he had announced plans to deploy the National Guard to Chicago, governed by a Democratic mayor, to crack down on immigrants and tackle crime. Chicago, the third-largest city in the United States, is a key Democratic stronghold and the political home of former President Barack Obama. Governor Pritzker is also mentioned as a potential Democratic presidential candidate.