Trump Takes Aim At Chicago In 'Department Of War' Truth Social Post

CHICAGO, IL — President Donald Trump took aim at Chicago on Saturday in a post on his social media platform, saying the city is "about to find out why it's called the Department of WAR."

Trump referenced the newly-named federal agency, formerly the U.S. Department of Defense, as Chicago remains on high alert ahead of possible immigration raids in the city.

The post on Truth Social also featured an AI-generated image of Trump with the downtown Chicago skyline and flames in the background. The image was captioned "Chipocalypse Now."

"I love the smell of deportations in the morning," Trump wrote.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson was quick to respond to the post by releasing a statement on X.

"The President’s threats are beneath the honor of our nation, but the reality is that he wants to occupy our city and break our Constitution," Johnson wrote. "We must defend our democracy from this authoritarianism by protecting each other and protecting Chicago from Donald Trump."

Gov. JB Pritzker also responded, calling the president a "wannabe dictator."

Federal agents have already started training for immigration raids in the Chicago area — using flash-bang grenades and other tactics meant to control crowds — as daily early morning stings are expected to start this weekend, sources say.

• RELATED: Flash Bang Grenades Used In Training, Daily ICE Stings To Begin From IL Naval Base: Sources

The Pentagon on Thursday also approved the use of Great Lakes Naval Station in Lake County as a hub for upcoming Department of Homeland Security operations and as a staging ground meant for launching operations against undocumented immigrants, according to the Washington Post.

Two defense officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told the Washington Post the naval station, located at 2601 Paul Jones St. in Great Lakes, could also possibly be used to house National Guard or active-duty service members.

This could happen as Trump previously said he would deploy U.S. troops to Chicago, as he did this past summer in Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles, according to the Washington Post.

Early on Thursday afternoon, Patch.com readers said they'd already noticed signs of ICE in the far northern suburbs.

During a press conference this past week, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said federal agents are expected to be "fully assembled" in the Chicago area on Friday.

He added, "They might not be in action on Friday," but "they could be."

Pritzker urged residents to use their phones to video record any ICE action so "they know they are being watched."

"In any way that you can record what's going on in their neighborhoods by ICE because we think that is the best way to demonstrate what ICE is doing, if they are doing something wrong or to keep them honest and doing the right thing because they know they are being watched," he said.

On Wednesday, Pritzker also said he believes President Donald Trump is trying to set a legal trap by "begging" the governor to call him.

"He wants to set into the fact pattern that the governor called him to ask for help," Pritzker said. "Why? Because he’s going to end up in court. He’s going to end up in court, and that will be a fact that they will use in court that the governor called to ask for help. And I’m sorry, I’m not going to provide him with evidence to support his desire to have the court rule in his favor. "

The comments from Pritzker came a day after a federal judge ruled Trump's administration violated federal law by sending National Guard troops to Southern California during the immigration enforcement operations and accompanying protests.