Preston Slams Trump Over Suggestion to Use Cities as Military “Training Grounds” (Chicago, IL) – Illinois State Sen. Willie Preston, a Democratic candidate for Congress in the 2nd District, sharply criticized President Donald Trump on Tuesday after Trump suggested that cities such as Chicago could serve as “training grounds” for the U.S. military.
Speaking at an event before senior military leaders, Trump floated the idea of deploying troops into urban centers, drawing condemnation from local leaders. Preston said the rhetoric dehumanizes city residents and threatens to inflame divisions.
“With the deployment of National Guard troops for purely political reasons and rhetoric that portrays cities like Chicago as enemy war zones, President Trump is ripping open deep wounds in our country,” Preston said in a statement. “These actions and words are denying the humanity of fellow Americans and amplifying the existing pain of poverty and disinvestment.”
Preston, who is running to succeed longtime Rep. Robin Kelly, argued that the military’s role should never extend to city streets outside of extraordinary circumstances.
“The American military—trained and armed to kill—has no business anywhere but on a battlefield,” he said. “Chicago has been through enough already, but we have to steel ourselves to the dangerous reality that this president and this Congress think of Chicagoans as the enemy, not as fellow countrymen and women.”
Preston has made public safety and investment in communities key themes of his campaign, often contrasting his vision with Trump’s approach. The remarks add to a growing chorus of Illinois leaders pushing back on what they call the politicization of the armed forces.
Preston Slams Trump Over Suggestion to Use Cities as Military “Training Grounds”
