Trump Posts 'Chipocalypse Now' Meme, Threatening Chicago Immigration Crackdown: 'Love the Smell of Deportations in the Morning'

President Donald Trump during the weekend posted an image on Truth Social depicting himself in military attire with helicopters and flames over the Chicago skyline, accompanied by the phrase "Chipocalypse Now."

The post included the line, "'I love the smell of deportations in the morning...' Chicago about to find out why it's called the Department of War," referencing the 1979 film Apocalypse Now. The post followed Trump's executive order rebranding the Defense Department as the Department of War.

Trump's social media message drew immediate criticism from Illinois Democratic leaders. Governor JB Pritzker wrote on X, "The President of the United States is threatening to go to war with an American city. This is not a joke. This is not normal."

Pritzker has repeatedly challenged Trump's claims that Chicago requires federal intervention, citing declining violent crime. "There's no emergency happening in Chicago," he said in a recent interview with the Associated Press, noting that violent crime dropped more than 22 percent in the first half of 2025 compared with the same period last year.

Senator Dick Durbin was another prominent voice who criticized Trump's social media post while speaking at the 24th annual Mexican Independence Day Parade in Pilsen on Saturday, as WBEZ in Chicago reports. Durbin called the post "disgusting" and said suggesting federal troops would enter Chicago is "an embarrassment."

Mayor Brandon Johnson posted 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," adding that "we must defend our democracy from this authoritarianism by protecting each other and protecting Chicago from Donald Trump."

Trump has indicated plans to deploy National Guard troops and federal law enforcement agents to multiple Democratic-led cities, including Chicago, Baltimore, and New Orleans, citing crime concerns. Officials have requisitioned handcuffs, leg irons, gas masks, license plate readers, and buses in advance of the anticipated Chicago operation, as WBEZ points out.

Demonstrations occurred Saturday near Naval Station Great Lakes and throughout the Loop to protest the potential federal presence, with participants emphasizing protection of civil rights and opposing the deployment of troops.