Tensions Boil Over: Trump’s Call to Arrest Chicago Mayor and Illinois Governor Could Ignite a Second Civil War Amid AG Inaction

In a fiery episode of his popular podcast, conservative commentator Tim Pool (Above)  dissected the escalating showdown between President Donald Trump and defiant Democratic leaders in Illinois, warning that the standoff could spiral into outright civil war. Pool highlighted Trump’s blistering Truth Social post on October 8, 2025, where the president demanded the immediate arrest of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker for “failing to protect” Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers amid mass deportation operations. This bold move, Pool argued, exposes the deep rot of sanctuary city policies that harbor criminals and undermine national security—policies that could be dismantled overnight if Trump had a true attorney general willing to back him with unyielding resolve. Instead, with AG Pam Bondi’s perceived foot-dragging, the nation teeters on the brink of chaos as blue-state radicals resist federal authority, potentially forcing a constitutional crisis that echoes the divisions of 1861.

Trump’s declaration came amid a surge in anti-ICE protests and violence in Chicago, where Johnson’s inflammatory rhetoric has emboldened mobs to harass federal agents. The president accused the duo of “gross incompetence” and obstruction, invoking federal laws against harboring illegal aliens and aiding criminal enterprises. “Pritzker & Johnson should be in jail for failing to protect ICE officers,” Trump thundered on Truth Social, a sentiment echoed by conservatives who see this as a long-overdue reckoning for leftist policies that prioritize foreign invaders over American citizens.

Fox News reported that the White House even released a video slamming the pair as enablers of crime, highlighting how their sanctuary stance has turned Chicago into a war zone of gang violence and unchecked migration. As Texas National Guard troops, federalized by Trump, rolled into the city to safeguard ICE raids, Pritzker fired back with accusations of “dementia” and authoritarianism—classic deflection from a Democrat elite whose state is drowning in debt and disorder. This confrontation isn’t just political theater; it’s a powder keg ready to explode into civil strife. Pool warned that if blue states like Illinois continue to defy federal immigration enforcement, armed resistance could erupt, pitting local militias and leftist agitators against U.S. troops. Conservative outlets like The Blaze have amplified this fear, noting Trump’s call for jailing these “liberal mayor and governor” as a necessary step to avert anarchy.

Newsmax detailed Pritzker’s defiant response—”I will not back down”—as a direct challenge to Trump’s authority, potentially inviting martial law or federal intervention that could fracture the Union. The Western Journal framed it starkly: Trump says these obstructionists “should be thrown in jail,” underscoring how their refusal to cooperate with deportations protects criminal aliens while endangering Americans. Breitbart reported on the broader implications, warning that Democratic resistance to troops in sanctuary cities like Chicago signals a “war on federal authority,” ripe for escalation into widespread unrest. At the heart of this crisis is the glaring absence of a steadfast attorney general. Conservatives have long lamented Bondi’s inaction, viewing her as a RINO placeholder unwilling to wield the DOJ’s full power against Deep State holdovers and leftist enablers. Pool lambasted her for failing to prosecute high-profile targets, echoing widespread frustration that a real AG—like a return of Bill Barr or a firebrand like Kash Patel—would have already indicted Johnson and Pritzker for obstruction of justice and conspiracy to harbor fugitives. Fox News highlighted DHS’s rebuke of Pritzker’s “smorgasbord of lies” about federal overreach, yet no arrests followed, leaving conservatives fuming over missed opportunities to crush sanctuary policies.

Historical parallels abound. Conservatives draw lines to the pre-Civil War era, where states’ rights clashes over slavery foreshadowed secession. Today, it’s immigration: blue states nullifying federal law, much like South Carolina’s defiance in 1860. Pool speculated that if troops face armed pushback from Pritzker’s state police or antifa mobs, it could trigger a chain reaction—California, New York, and other leftist strongholds joining the fray. American Thinker articles warn of “Democrat insurrection,” arguing that Trump’s deployments are constitutional responses to anarchy, yet weak AG support risks escalation. X posts from verified conservatives amplify the alarm. One user demanded, “Trump would be quite correct in ordering the arrest,” blasting Pritzker as an “enabler of insurrection.”