President Donald Trump engaged in a heated confrontation with NBC News reporter Yamiche Alcindor on Sunday morning, September 7, 2025, after she questioned him about a provocative social media post threatening military action in Chicago. The exchange occurred on the White House South Lawn as Trump prepared to depart for the U.S. Open men’s final match.
The confrontation stemmed from a Truth Social post Trump published on Saturday, September 6, featuring an AI-generated image styled after the 1979 film “Apocalypse Now.” The meme depicted Trump as Lieutenant Colonel William Kilgore from the Vietnam War movie, with Chicago’s skyline and military helicopters in the background. The post was captioned with references to deportations and warned that Chicago would soon learn about the newly renamed Department of War.
When Alcindor asked Trump whether he was trying to go to war with Chicago, the President responded by calling her question fake news and addressing her as “darling.” As Alcindor attempted to follow up, Trump interrupted her forcefully. Trump declared, “Be quiet, listen! You don’t listen. You never listen.”
The President then characterized Alcindor as “second-rate” and denied any intention of going to war with the city. He explained that his administration’s goal was to clean up cities to prevent weekend violence, describing such efforts as common sense rather than warfare. Trump cited Chicago’s recent homicide statistics, stating that eight people were killed the previous weekend and seven the week before, with 74 people wounded.
The inflammatory Truth Social post had already drawn sharp criticism from Democratic officials. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker responded on social media, characterizing Trump as threatening to go to war with an American city and calling him a “wannabe dictator.” Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson similarly condemned the threats as beneath the honor of the nation and accused Trump of wanting to occupy the city while breaking the Constitution.
Trump’s post referenced the recently renamed Department of War, which he established through an executive order signed on Friday, September 5. The order restored the pre-World War II name for what is currently known as the Department of Defense. The President has repeatedly threatened to deploy National Guard troops to Chicago to address crime, similar to actions taken in Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles.
The exchange with Alcindor recalled previous confrontations Trump has had with Black female journalists during his first presidency. Critics noted a pattern of personal attacks, with Trump having previously called Alcindor’s questions “racist” in 2018 and “nasty” in 2020 during COVID-19 press conferences. He has similarly criticized other Black female reporters, including April Ryan and Abby Phillip.
The National Association of Black Journalists responded to Sunday’s incident by defending press freedom and emphasizing respect for journalists. NABJ President Errin Haines stated that journalists should not be personally attacked when performing their duties and praised Alcindor, who was named the organization’s 2020 Journalist of the Year.
Several Democratic lawmakers and media figures criticized Trump’s treatment of Alcindor. Representative Jonathan Jackson of Illinois suggested that Trump was intimidated by Black women and expressed support for the reporter’s questioning. Civil rights attorney Sherrilyn Ifill indicated that Trump appeared angry because Alcindor’s question had struck a nerve about his controversial post.
Trump’s plans for federal intervention in Chicago face legal and political obstacles. The deployment of National Guard troops typically requires state cooperation, and without it, such forces are generally restricted to defending federal property. A federal judge previously ruled that Trump’s National Guard deployment to Los Angeles was illegal under the Posse Comitatus Act, which limits military involvement in domestic law enforcement.
Chicago recorded 573 homicides in 2024, marking the 13th consecutive year the city led the nation in total murders, according to police department data. Despite this, other cities including Baltimore and New Orleans have higher murder rates per capita. The Trump administration has promoted its intervention in Washington, D.C., as a model for addressing urban crime nationwide.
Both Governor Pritzker and Mayor Johnson have publicly opposed any uninvited federal intervention in Chicago. Johnson has signed an executive order prohibiting local law enforcement from cooperating with uninvited federal forces. Border Czar Tom Homan attempted to clarify the President’s post, claiming it was taken out of context and referred to going to war with criminal cartels rather than the city itself.
