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Welcome to The Logoff: Days after deploying Nationwide Guard troops to Chicago in opposition to the needs of native leaders, President Donald Trump is looking for town’s mayor, Brandon Johnson, and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker to be jailed.
What occurred? In a Reality Social submit Wednesday, Trump wrote, “Chicago Mayor ought to be in jail for failing to guard Ice Officers! Governor Pritzker additionally!”
What’s the context? Trump has deployed round 500 Nationwide Guard troops — 200 from Texas and 300 extra from Illinois — to the better Chicago space, regardless of opposition from leaders within the metropolis and state. Each Johnson and Pritzker have vocally condemned the transfer, which Pritzker described as an “invasion.”
Why does this matter? The Logoff usually steers away from protecting Trump pronouncements till they translate into real-world impacts, as a result of they typically quantity to false alarms. Trump is definitely suggestible, so he’ll specific openness to concepts put to him as questions, and he’s extra more likely to say one thing than he’s to comply with by way of with it. However it’s price underscoring each the absurdity and the seriousness of Trump’s submit.
First, it’s not instantly apparent what federal immigration brokers — who’ve aggressively deployed militarized drive in Chicago, together with Black Hawk helicopters and tear fuel — want safety from.
And second, whereas threats of jail aren’t something new for Trump — in 2016, he made calls to jail his opponent, Hillary Clinton, a serious function of his rallies — the context is considerably totally different now.
Trump efficiently engineered the indictment of former FBI director James Comey final month, and Rep. LaMonica McIver is at present going through farcical felony costs for “impeding” legislation enforcement earlier this 12 months. Prime Trump advisers like Stephen Miller have attacked judges and elected officers standing in the way in which of immigration operations in more and more excessive phrases. Trump’s feedback on Wednesday could be the most recent instance of that extremism — however they shouldn’t go unnoticed.
And with that, it’s time to log out…
Don’t miss my colleague Constance Grady’s current examination of one in all Jane Austen’s less-known and less-loved works, Mansfield Park. The piece is an enchanting deep dive into what we learn about Austen’s ideas on slavery, which hardly ever appeared in her writing, and what — if something — we will be taught from how the subject does present up in Mansfield Park. Have an amazing night!
