Kamala Harris won Cook County, Illinois, by a very large margin, roughly three-quarters of the vote. This is a county where Donald Trump has consistently struggled to gain real support, so his recent statements about it raised a lot of doubt and criticism online. On Friday, Trump claimed that the people in Chicago were crying out for help and demanding a tough response to crime, saying they wanted him to step in and fix the city. He painted a picture of African American women wearing red MAGA hats, pleading with him to send in the military and restore order. He even described them as “beautiful ladies” who supposedly begged him personally, saying, “Please, President Trump, come to Chicago.”
Trump went further by suggesting that after his current plans elsewhere, Chicago would be his next focus because, in his words, “Chicago is a mess.” He described this as though it were a mission, claiming people were desperate for his help. But no real proof has been shown that these women he spoke about exist, and his popularity in Cook County does not back up his claims — he only received about 28.4% of the vote there in the 2024 election. The large majority of the county did not support him then, and nothing suggests that has changed in his favor.
This is not the first time Trump has made claims like this to justify heavy-handed action. Not long ago, he exaggerated crime rates in Washington, D.C., before deploying the National Guard there. Many people saw that as a political stunt rather than a genuine effort to improve safety, and his statements about Chicago feel very similar to them. The response on social media reflected that — countless users, especially Black women, pointed out that over 90% of them voted against Trump and that he has a long history of dismissing or insulting them rather than listening to their concerns. For many, his sudden insistence that they are now begging him for help feels like pure opportunism.
Chicago itself has seen real progress in reducing violence through local programs and community efforts. Homicides are down by 30% and shootings have fallen by 40% since 2024 without federal military intervention. Critics say this shows that the city is already moving in the right direction by using community-based strategies and violence prevention programs, not by bringing in armed troops. They accuse Trump of ignoring this progress because it does not fit the narrative he wants to tell — one where he steps in as a savior, takes credit, and uses the moment for political gain.
Many people also raised the point that Trump has a long track record of making derogatory remarks about Black people, including Black women. They reminded others how he once said he did not want them handling his money, removed them from his casino floors, and faced accusations of housing discrimination. For him now to claim that Black women are the ones pleading for his presence comes across to many as insincere and manipulative.
The anger online was not just about the lies themselves but also about the underlying message: using the military as a campaign prop, pretending to be a rescuer while cutting funding from programs that actually help reduce violence, and pushing a story that does not match the reality on the ground. Many see this as an attempt to spread fear, create division, and win attention rather than offer real solutions. People expressed that what Chicago — and the country — truly needs is collaboration with local leaders, continued investment in violence prevention, and respect for communities, not fabricated stories of unnamed women begging for military occupation.
