Online Desk : President Donald Trump escalated tensions on Saturday by threatening to deploy the newly renamed “Department of War” to Chicago, continuing his controversial strategy of sending federal forces into Democratic-led cities.

“Chicago about to find out why it’s called the Department of WAR,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social account, along with an AI-generated image of himself and the caption, “I love the smell of deportations in the morning” — a reference to the 1979 Vietnam War film Apocalypse Now, in which the original line references napalm.

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker condemned the president’s statement, calling it dangerous and authoritarian. “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 posted on X. “Illinois won’t be intimidated by a wannabe dictator.”

The comment has drawn widespread backlash and sparked large protests in both Chicago and Washington, D.C. In Chicago, demonstrators marched through the city carrying signs such as “stop this fascist regime” and “no Trump, no troops,” and passed by Trump Tower while making angry gestures toward the building.

Meanwhile, in the nation’s capital, thousands marched through the streets demanding an end to the military presence Trump ordered in response to what he called a “crime emergency.” Protesters carried inverted U.S. flags — a traditional sign of a nation in distress — as they moved past major national monuments.

Trump’s deployment of federal agents and National Guard troops began in June in Los Angeles, then extended to Washington, D.C. Critics have denounced the tactics as excessive and authoritarian, pointing to incidents in which ICE agents wore masks, drove unmarked vehicles, and detained people without warrants.

On Friday, Trump signed an executive order officially changing the name of the Department of Defense to the Department of War, claiming it projects strength and “sends a message of victory” to the world. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth praised the move, saying the U.S. will now pursue its goals through “decisive violence, without apology.”

Trump has also indicated plans to replicate the federal force surge in other Democratic-led cities, including Baltimore and New Orleans, sparking legal challenges and a wave of organized protests nationwide.