 "A 26-year-old woman was set on fire by a lunatic with a lengthy rap sheet in Chicago. (Reuters)")
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said crime in Chicago was out of control, condemning what he described as liberal judges after a 26-year-old woman was set on fire on a subway train. Authorities said the alleged attacker, who has 72 prior arrests, had been released on bond despite prosecutors urging that he be jailed.
Speaking during the annual Thanksgiving turkey pardon at the White House, Trump repeated his call for Illinois officials to allow federal troops into the city to address rising violence.
He referred to the victim, identified by friends as Bethany MaGee, who remains in hospital with critical burns. Trump said the suspect had been arrested 72 times and warned that judges would release him again. Prosecutors said the man doused MaGee with petrol, chased her through the train carriage and set her alight in broad daylight.
Leaders challenged over federal intervention
Trump accused Chicago leaders of blocking federal assistance, criticising Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor J. B. Pritzker. He claimed that deploying troops in other major cities had sharply reduced crime and said residents wanted federal support. Trump went further in his remarks, calling Johnson incompetent and referring to Pritzker using an insult. He said the state should invite federal help to prevent the city’s decline.
Illinois officials have rejected the push for federal intervention, arguing it would be unconstitutional and accusing the White House of overstating crime levels. Tensions rose earlier in the week after Pritzker criticised Trump over rising Thanksgiving food prices.
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View AllA White House statement later intensified the criticism, accusing Democratic leaders of creating what it described as a blood-soaked catastrophe through policies including the state’s no cash bail law. The statement said the suspect had been released on electronic monitoring after a violent crime months earlier and had violated conditions multiple times.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt condemned what she called liberal ‘soft on crime’ policies. In a post on X, she questioned how the attack was allowed to happen and warned that such policies endangered law-abiding Americans. The White House said Trump was committed to making cities safe, vowing to confront what it described as reckless Democrat policies and to support police departments with additional federal assistance.
Earlier on Saturday, Trump said that Chicago residents were calling to “bring in Trump” after a wave of violence in the city. His comments followed a Friday night riot in the Chicago Loop, where at least eight teenagers were shot, one fatally, and several police officers were attacked.