President Donald Trump has recently reiterated a controversial claim that he has seen “a force of Black women” on television pleading with him to deploy the National Guard to Chicago to address crime concerns.
Despite overall crime rates falling in the city, Trump has repeatedly mentioned this purported support from Black women as part of his justification for sending federal troops to Chicago, mirroring his earlier deployments in Washington, D.C. Trump’s ramblings about Black women have naturally drawn sharp criticism and analysis from experts who see it as a deliberate political strategy rather than a reflection of the broader African American community’s views.
Trump: After we do this, we will go to another location and make it safe too. Chicago is a mess. That will probably be our next one after this. They are screaming for us to come. African American ladies, beautiful ladies are saying “Please President Trump, come to Chicago,… pic.twitter.com/lh97SsJ2UY
— Acyn (@Acyn) August 22, 2025
At a White House Cabinet meeting, Trump insisted that Black women in Chicago, described as wearing red MAGA hats, are begging him to step in. He said, “I see Black women, wearing a red MAGA hat, last night on television [saying] ‘Please let the president come in. My son was attacked, my—’ You have a force of Black women, Black women, they’re like, only Trump. They want Trump to come in,” and added, “And you see them, they’re all over the place in Chicago. Because they’re afraid to go out, and they don’t want their son or their daughter killed.”
Trump made similar remarks the previous week, calling these supporters “African-American ladies, beautiful ladies” who were “screaming for us to come” to Chicago. However, it is unclear exactly whom Trump is referring to when he references this “force” of Black women.
Meanwhile, over 90% of Black Women voted against Trump…because we’re always saving this country.
— R. Saoirse (@razzli_) August 22, 2025
A few Black Trump supporters in Chicago have confirmed they believe Trump was alluding to them. The Chicago Tribune revealed a small group known as Chicago Flips Red, who regularly attend city council meetings and vocally support Trump while criticizing the city’s Democratic leadership.
Patricia Easley, founder of the group ChicagoRed, also believes the president was referencing her activism. These vocal conservative groups in Chicago typically consist of about a dozen members who challenge Mayor Brandon Johnson and other Democrats at public meetings.
Despite their visibility, these Black Trump supporters represent only a narrow segment of Chicago’s Black female population. The broader political reality is starkly different: Black women overwhelmingly supported Vice President Kamala Harris nationally in the 2024 presidential election, with 92% voting for her, and Harris handily won Cook County (which includes Chicago) with 70% of the vote.
Local leaders and experts have criticized Trump’s repeated emphasis on Black women to support his National Guard threats. Chicago alderwoman Jeanette B. Taylor called the tactic “exploitive,” saying conservative leaders are “using people who look like us to steer a narrative that we all know is not true.”
Northwestern University professor Alvin B. Tillery Jr., a political science and African American studies expert, emphasized that Black women remain the Democratic Party’s “most loyal constituency” and are strongly opposed to Trump’s agenda. He called Trump’s claims “a bald-faced lie.”
Tillery elaborated, “At best, he may have seen a small handful of individuals on television or social media, but it’s a complete distortion to present that as representative of the views of Black women in Chicago.”
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He described Trump’s repeated invocation of Black women as a “deliberate political tactic,” noting that Black women are trusted community voices who anchor households, churches, and networks.
“By claiming that even this most loyal Democratic group is asking for his intervention, he’s trying to lend legitimacy to an otherwise outrageous threat,” Tillery said. He further added that Trump’s approach “tokenizes” these women by using their image to justify military intervention rather than respecting the majority’s advocacy for community-based safety approaches.
Yini Zhang, an assistant professor of communication at the University at Buffalo, echoed this view. She described Trump’s “force of Black women” rhetoric as vague, given that Cook County is solidly Democratic and Harris enjoys overwhelming support among Black women.
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Zhang said the statement serves a “symbolic purpose” to imply a dramatic public opinion shift. The implicit message, she said, is, “Even those who didn’t vote for me are now begging for my protection.” By framing Black women as needing rescue from violence, Trump casts federal troops as saviors, reinforcing “a deeply racialized and gendered narrative” that appeals to his political base.
The background context further undermines Trump’s claims. Crime in Chicago, while historically higher than the national average, has been declining recently. The Chicago Police Department’s 2025 data show year-over-year reductions in murder, robbery, and assault, contradicting Trump’s depiction of a “crime emergency.”
Trump claims Black women in Chicago are pleading for him to come in with the National Guard, saying only Trump.
Pretty rich for the guy who once said “look at my African-American over here. pic.twitter.com/gWoJidkZDt
— The Vivlia (@TVivlia) August 27, 2025
Professor Tillery urged people to recognize Trump’s negative portrayal of Chicago as “both exaggerated and harmful,” pointing out that “most neighborhoods are safe, vibrant and full of hardworking families.”
Tillery emphasized that many communities experiencing violence seek resources such as quality schools, jobs, mental health services, and smart policing strategies, not military occupation or more aggressive policing.
He warned that portrayals of Chicago as a “war zone” dehumanize its residents and fuel racial stereotypes, narratives often driven by right-wing media and Republican operatives with the goal not to fix problems but to divide Americans further.
