Donald Trump Threatens To “Send In The Feds” Into Chicago In Response To Bill O’Reilly Segment

Special Programs Guns & Public Safety

Written by Media Matters Staff

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President Donald Trump appears to be proposing policy responses to a segment from Fox News host Bill O'Reilly on the violence in Chicago. Trump announced on Twitter that he will “send in the Feds” to respond to the “carnage” in Chicago. Trump's tweet included statistics that were used in a graphic from O'Reilly's show and referenced statements made by O’Reilly during the segment.

During the January 24 edition of The O'Reilly Factor, host Bill O'Reilly discussed the violence in Chicago, asking, “can President Trump override local Illinois and Chicago authorities, and stop the murder?”

BILL O'REILLY (HOST): And in the Impact Segment tonight, the violence in Chicago getting worse, if you can believe it. The first 23 days of this year, 42 homicides in the Windy City, up 24 percent from last year. An unbelievable 228 people have been shot and Chicago in 23 days. While campaigning last July, Donald Trump said this.

[...]

The question is, can President Trump override local Illinois and Chicago authorities, and stop the murder? Joining us now from Washington, Horace Cooper, an attorney that specializes in federal law. So, can he go in? And Cook County is where Chicago is located. Everybody says the same thing, gun crimes are not prosecuted aggressively, the sentences are way too low, the gang thing is getting worse, the mayor of Chicago has no clue, the governor of Illinois doesn't want to do anything about it, so can the feds go in and stop this?

HORACE COOPER: Well absolutely the feds can do this. And as you’ve pointed out there has been a wholesale failure on the part of the state and local communities to address this really serious problem. I don’t know another word besides carnage to describe the devastation that’s been taking place.

The segment included on-air graphics of Chicago's violence so far in 2017.

In what appears to be a response to O'Reilly's segment, Trump mimicked O’Reilly’s language in a tweet about an hour later noting that Chicago has had 228 shootings and 42 murders so far in 2017. And in what appears to be a reference to Horace Cooper, Trump called the violence “carnage,” claiming that “If Chicago doesn't fix the horrible 'carnage' ... I will send in the Feds!”