Vic Mensa has some strong thoughts, and surprising statistics, about why President Donald Trump shouldn’t send the National Guard to Chicago.
“So, Trump wants to send the National Guard to the Raq? It ain’t gonna go how you want to,” said Mensa, with a laugh, in a new video shared on his X account. “Let’s be real. This ain’t about Chicago. This is about [Jeffrey] Epstein and Mar-A-Lago, fuck is you talking about.”
“For as much bad press as Chicago gets, let’s look at the realities,” Mensa continued. “Our mayor, Brandon Johnson, needs to be applauded for reducing homicides by more than 30%, robberies by 35%, and shootings by almost 40%.
Mensa gave his thoughts on why Chicago continues to be called a violent city. “See, Chicago is just a convenient scapegoat for the violence of America,” he said. “It’s like, ‘Let’s look at Chicago,’ like the American government isn’t the most violent machine on the planet Earth.”
“Now, for the ‘We need more police' crowd. Let me hit you with a couple facts,” Mensa continued. “The police budget is $2 billion, 12% of the city's budget. Increasing police by only 10 percent reduces crime by, like, only 2%. On the other hand, youth summer jobs and cognitive behavioral therapy in schools reduces violence by 40 to 50%. You tell me what’s a better investment.”
Mensa concluded his message with an ask for the president. “So, how about, before you waste them people’s time and all of our money, you look at what Brandon Johnson is already doing, what the mayor of Baltimore [where Trump has also been threatening to send the National Guard] is already doing, and invest in the Black community?"
Mensa’s comments about Chicago are right in line with the facts. AP News reports that shootings are down 37% and homicides have dropped by 32% in the first half of 2025. Total violent crimes in the city have dropped over 22%.
President Trump threatened to deploy National Guard troops to Chicago while calling the city a “killing field.” His threats come after he’s already sent National Guard troops to Los Angeles and Washington D.C.