Ignoring trends, President Donald Trump credits 'Operation Midway Blitz' for drop in Chicago violence

Sam Charles and Alice Yin, Chicago Tribune on Nov 12, 2025

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CHICAGO — President Donald Trump this week ignored several consecutive years of decreases in Chicago’s violent crime and instead credited “Operation Midway Blitz” for the continuing downward trend.

In a Tuesday social media post, Trump, with no citation, said shootings, robberies and carjackings are all down at least 35% since the start of “Operation Midway Blitz” in early September. The progress, Trump said, comes “despite all of the radical opposition and obstruction we have from the Mayor and the Governor.”

Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino, the top official on the ground leading the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, said in a Wednesday morning post to X, “Crime is way down in Chicago thanks to President Trump and (Department of Homeland Security) Secretary (Kristi) Noem’s leadership. This is Homeland Security in action.”

The Tribune reported earlier this month that calls to the city’s 911 center have fallen sharply since the federal immigration actions in Chicago began in earnest a little more than two months ago. The decline is especially stark in Little Village, the neighborhood home to the city’s largest contingent of Mexican Americans.

Like major cities across the country, Chicago has seen steep drops in violent crime since the COVID-19 pandemic’s abatement.

Through the first week of November, according to CPD, Chicago had recorded 368 killings on the year, a nearly 30% decline from that same time period in 2024. Total shootings, robberies and motor vehicle thefts are all down at least 20% since last year.

Moreover, since the start of 2025, the city has kept pace with a goal set last year by Mayor Brandon Johnson: Keep Chicago’s annual killing total under 500 — a benchmark not reached since 2019.

In a late Monday post to Truth Social, Trump lamented the store vacancies in the “Miracle Mile Shopping District,” a mistaken reference to the Magnificent Mile on North Michigan Avenue.

“CALL IN THE TROOPS, FAST, BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE,” Trump added.

Addressing reporters Tuesday, Johnson said, “There’s nothing that (Trump) says that should be taken into any consideration for the people of Chicago.”

The Magnificent Mile shopping district, anchored by the glitzy shops along Michigan Avenue downtown, has especially struggled with vacancies during the pandemic but has shown signs of recovery.

The latest data from the Magnificent Mile Association shows retail vacancy continues trending down to 22.9%. But the number still has a long way before coming close to the early aughts levels of about 3%.

Johnson ran as the progressive candidate in 2023 and faced attacks for his past endorsement of the “defund the police” movement, which he ultimately disavowed before winning the runoff. As mayor, his opponents have continued to paint him as soft on crime for actions such as canceling the city’s ShotSpotter contract or opposing a teen curfew downtown.

Meanwhile, the president’s antipathy toward the city is nothing new. Trump’s ongoing obsession with Chicago as a “hellhole” stretches back to his first term, but his critiques have less weight in 2025 as Chicago has seen steep drops in shootings and homicides.

That’s helped the mayor’s office with its PR counteroffensive every time the White House has claimed Chicago is a cesspool of violence. At the same time, some local skeptics are reluctant to credit Johnson for the recent progress.

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