Donald Trump escalated his tough stance on crime by posting a shocking AI-generated image portraying himself as a military officer amid a burning Chicago skyline. The image, inspired by the 1979 Vietnam War film Apocalypse Now, featured Trump as Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore with helicopters soaring while the city burned, captioned “Chipocalypse Now.” Accompanying the image was a warning to Chicago’s leaders and a dark twist on the movie’s famous line referencing deportations.
This came days after Trump signed an executive order renaming the Department of Defense to the Department of War, symbolizing a more aggressive military posture. Trump vowed to send forces to Chicago and Baltimore, citing recent fatal shootings and violence.
The post provoked strong backlash from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, who condemned the threat as authoritarian and unconstitutional. Mayor Johnson called for unity to protect democracy and oppose what he labeled Trump’s “scare tactics.”
Despite the anger, Trump claimed his message was “tongue-in-cheek” and insisted the goal was to clean up crime, not to wage war on the city. His administration is preparing National Guard deployments across cities like Chicago, Baltimore, and New York while critics denounce the militarized approach.
