Donald Trump has utilized artificial intelligence to deliver a startling message directed at a US city.
On Saturday, September 6, President Trump shared an unusual image with a threatening message to Chicago on his Truth Social platform.
Drawing inspiration from the film Apocalypse Now, the AI-created image portrays Trump as Robert Duvall’s character, Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore, against a backdrop of fiery chaos.
In this parody, the Chicago skyline is depicted against an orange sky, with helicopters flying above and ‘Colonel Trump’ seated on a burning beach, resembling a war zone setting.
The image features the text ‘Chipocalypse Now’ across it.
Trump coupled the image with a direct message to the city in light of his plan to deploy the National Guard as part of his initiative to militarize Washington, D.C., and combat crime.
He stated: “Chicago about to find out why it’s called the Department of WAR,” referring to his recent rebranding of the Department of Defense.
Adding a sarcastic twist to his assertive immigration policy, Trump wrote: “‘I love the smell of deportations in the morning…'”, echoing Duvall’s famous line: “I love the smell of napalm in the morning.”
This implied threat of ‘war’ comes as Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, a critic of Trump, warned the city of a potential arrival of approximately 300 immigration enforcement agents.
Following Trump’s AI-generated image, Pritzker expressed 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.”
“Donald Trump isn’t a strongman, he’s a scared man. Illinois won’t be intimidated by a wannabe dictator,” Pritzker added.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson commented: “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. We must defend our democracy from this authoritarianism by protecting each other and protecting Chicago from Donald Trump.”
However, Trump later clarified his stance, suggesting the post was meant in jest and there was no actual war intended.
He explained to reporters: “We’re not going to war. We’re going to clean up our cities.”
Trump added, “We’re going to clear them up so they don’t kill every five people every weekend. That’s not war. That’s common sense.”
In August, Trump announced a federal initiative to take over local policing in Washington, D.C., stating he had directed the National Guard to combat crime and address homelessness.
He is now considering extending this plan to other Democratic-led cities such as Baltimore and New York City.
“The people of Chicago… are screaming for us to come,” Trump remarked at the time.
“African-American ladies, beautiful ladies, are saying, ‘Please President Trump, come to Chicago, please,'” Trump claimed. “I did great with the Black vote, as you know. They want something to happen… So I think Chicago will be our next, then we’re gonna help with New York.”
In a press briefing, Pritzker asserted there is ‘no emergency’ in Chicago justifying troop deployment and accused Trump of ‘insulting the people’ by labeling their city a ‘hellhole.’
Yet, Trump reiterated his claim, stating six people had been murdered and 12 shot in Chicago over the weekend.
He continued: “This would mean that over the past number of weeks, approximately 50 people were killed, and hundreds were shot, many expected to die. Governor Pritzker just stated that he doesn’t want Federal Government HELP! WHY???”
“I want to help the people of Chicago, not hurt them. Only the Criminals will be hurt!” Trump declared.