Trump Calls Chicago a 'Killing Field,' Says Many Are Saying 'Maybe We'd Like a Dictator'

President Donald Trump said on Monday that "many people" in Chicago are saying "maybe we'd like a dictator" as his administration reportedly plans to deploy National Guard troops to the city.

Speaking at the Oval Office, Trump said Chicago is a "killing field" at the moment. "They don't acknowledge it. They say 'freedom freedom,' 'he's a dictator.' A lot of people are saying 'maybe we'd like a dictator.' I don't like a dictator, I'm not a dictator. I'm a man with great common sense, a smart person," Trump said.

The Washington Post reported on Saturday that the Pentagon has been planning for weeks a deployment of National Guard troops to Chicago. The plan includes the mobilization of thousands of troops and could take place as early as September, with officials also discussing the possibility of using active-duty troops the outlet added.

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker reacted on Saturday, saying in a statement that the state had not "received no requests or outreach from the federal government asking if we need assistance, and we have made no requests for federal intervention."

"There is no emergency that warrants the President of the United States federalizing the @IL_Natl_Guard, deploying the National Guard from other states, or sending active duty military within our own borders," Pritzker added.

"Donald Trump is attempting to manufacture a crisis, politicize Americans who serve in uniform, and continue abusing his power to distract from the pain he's causing families. We'll continue to follow the law, stand up for the sovereignty of our state, and protect Illinoisans."

Trump and Pritzker have been trading barbs over the matter for weeks. Earlier this month, Pritzker compared the threat to tactics used by the Nazi Party in Germany during the 1930s, warning that such actions erode constitutional governance.

Speaking at a school event in Wheeling, Illinois, Pritzker said Trump "has absolutely no right and no legal ability to send troops into the city of Chicago," citing the Posse Comitatus Act, which limits the use of federal troops for domestic law enforcement.

However, he warned that the president "doesn't follow the law," as reported by The Miami Herald. "The Nazis in Germany in the '30s tore down a constitutional republic in just 53 days. We have a president who seems hell-bent on doing just that."

Legal analyst Irv Miller told CBS News Chicago that the president doesn't have the authority to unilaterally send the National Guard to Illinois, and that the decision is up to the governor.