Trump Sparks Controversy with Sharp Remarks about Chicago Borrowing a Scene from the Movie 'Apocalypse Now'

U.S. President Donald Trump sparked widespread controversy after posting on his platform 'Truth Social' a modified image using artificial intelligence showing him in the form of actor Robert Duvall's character from the movie 'Apocalypse Now', accompanied by the phrase: 'I love the smell of deportation in the morning... Chicago is about to discover why the Department of War is named.'

U.S. media outlets, including Axios, described this language as an unprecedented escalation, suggesting a direct threat towards an American city, at a time when federal authorities intensified immigration law enforcement operations in Chicago, following protests during which demonstrators closed an immigration and customs center.

Trump had previously deployed the National Guard in Los Angeles and Washington as part of his tough campaigns against immigration, while hinting at the possibility of taking similar action in Chicago.

For his part, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson urged demonstrators to avoid violent confrontations, warning that this could be used as a pretext to call in the National Guard. Pritzker confirmed that he would resort to the courts if any federal entity committed legal violations during the raids, stating: 'The President of the United States is threatening to wage war on an American city... this is not normal and we will not allow the intimidation of Illinois.'