President Donald Trump’s declaration that Chicago is the “worst and most dangerous” city and his suggestion that federal forces could be sent there prompted sharp responses from both a leading late-night comedian and a prominent media personality on Wednesday.
On CBS’s The Late Show, host Stephen Colbert read the president’s social-media post aloud and condemned the remarks, at one point using profanity directly at Trump. Colbert said the president had “made a hard right onto the fascism freeway” in announcing that he would deploy National Guard troops to Chicago and called Trump’s characterization of the city “slander.” He also told viewers, “Two words: ‘F— you!’” after reading the post. Colbert added that, according to the FBI, 22 major cities have higher murder rates than Chicago and praised the city’s residents, saying he had lived there for 11 years and that it is a “scary time for the people of Chicago.”
Separately on her SiriusXM show, former Fox News host Megyn Kelly — who has in recent years been a frequent media booster of Mr. Trump — warned that the president does not have constitutional authority to send federal troops into Chicago without the invitation of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker. “It very clearly is not constitutionally permissible. He cannot do it,” Kelly said, adding that she hoped the president would not proceed and that she would side with the governor on the legal question if he tried. Kelly said she sympathized with Chicago residents but said legal principles must prevail.
Trump’s social-media post on Wednesday included a pledge to “consider” deploying National Guard troops to Chicago as part of what his post described as a crime crackdown, and labeled the city the “murder capital” of the world. The remarks drew immediate media attention and criticism from commentators across the political spectrum.
The debate folded together questions about the president’s public rhetoric, the scope of federal authority over troop deployments on U.S. soil, and the tone often used by late-night entertainers in responding to political developments. On late-night television, Colbert has frequently used his monologue to counter presidential statements, while Kelly’s comments mark a high-profile break with a leader she has generally supported in recent years.
Legal experts and former officials have long noted that the deployment of federal troops to states is typically governed by statutes and constitutional principles that involve the consent of state executives except under specific conditions. Kelly’s on-air assessment echoed that conventional understanding, stressing that unilateral action by the president would run afoul of those constraints unless a legal pathway were invoked.
Colbert’s remarks also underscored a broader cultural moment in which entertainers and media figures weigh in directly on political disputes. On his program, Colbert framed his response as both a personal defense of Chicagoans and as a rebuke to what he characterized as inflammatory presidential rhetoric. Kelly framed hers as a defense of constitutional limits, even as she expressed concern for public safety.
As of Wednesday evening, it remained unclear whether the White House would move forward with any formal plan to dispatch federal troops or National Guard units to Chicago, and whether state officials would consent to such a deployment. The exchange highlighted divergent responses within the media and political communities to presidential proposals that involve federal intervention in local law enforcement matters.
Both Colbert’s televised rebuke and Kelly’s public legal warning came on the same day Mr. Trump amplified his criticism of the city, ensuring that the debate over rhetoric, legality and public safety will likely continue in the coming days as officials and commentators respond.