‘They Have to Be Very Careful’: Trump Ramps Up Threat to Jail Democratic Leaders

The president said officials should face charges over protests in their cities.

Attorney General Pam Bondi and President Donald Trump speak at a roundtable at the White House.

Evan Vucci/AP

The White House is ratcheting up its pressure campaign on the Democratic leaders of Portland, Oregon, and Chicago, with President Donald Trump calling for Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson to face charges over the presence of antifa in their cities.

“What they’re doing is not lawful,” Trump said of antifa during a roundtable Wednesday to highlight his crackdown on the loosely organized movement of largely left-wing activists.

“And what the governor and the mayor of, as an example, you can say, of Portland and you can say certainly of Chicago, it is not lawful, what they’re doing, they have to be very careful,” he added.