Jonathan Turley has been watching the political chess game in Washington, D.C. for decades.
But even he seemed impressed by the brilliant trap President Trump just set for Democrat politicians.
And Jonathan Turley just revealed Trump’s genius strategy that has Chicago Democrats completely trapped.
Turley Explains Trump’s Win-Win Strategy on Crime
George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley appeared on Fox News and dropped some serious political analysis that should have Democrats sweating.
The constitutional law expert explained exactly why Trump’s approach to Chicago crime puts Democrat politicians in an impossible position.
"I think President Trump realized he’s going to win either way," Turley told guest host Gillian Turner. "He’s forcing these Democratic politicians to fight every effort of the feds to increase law enforcement efforts in their cities, in their state and that’s not good optics."¹
The genius of Trump’s strategy is becoming crystal clear.
Either Democrats accept federal help fighting crime and Trump gets credit for solving their problems, or they reject it and look like they’re choosing politics over public safety.
Turley, who grew up in Chicago, didn’t mince words about the reality on the ground.
"I don’t know anyone that really feels safe in Chicago. Certainly not on the south side," Turley said.²
Chicago Democrats Painted Themselves Into a Corner
Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor J.B. Pritzker have been fighting Trump’s federal enforcement efforts every step of the way.
Johnson even signed an order Saturday prohibiting Chicago agencies from cooperating with immigration enforcement.
But here’s the thing they didn’t think through – regular people in Chicago are terrified to walk their own streets.
While Johnson and Pritzker play political games, families on the South Side are literally afraid to leave their houses after dark.
Trump posted on Truth Social back in August criticizing Johnson’s handling of crime, and now we can see this was all part of a larger strategy.³
The President wasn’t just venting – he was setting the stage for exactly this kind of political trap.
The Results Speak for Themselves
Look at what’s happening in Washington, D.C. since Trump launched his crackdown there.
Attorney General Pam Bondi posted Tuesday that 1,669 arrests have been made and 168 guns have been seized since the operation began.⁴
That’s real results that real people can see and feel in their neighborhoods.
Meanwhile, a federal judge in California – a Bill Clinton appointee, naturally – ruled that Trump violated federal law by deploying the National Guard during riots.
But Trump doesn’t care about legal challenges from Clinton judges.
He’s already won the political battle that matters.
Democrats Walk Right Into Trump’s Trap
Turley nailed it when he said this "plays well obviously for the sort of base of the Democrat Party but not for a lot of other people."
Democrat politicians are so obsessed with opposing everything Trump does that they’re literally fighting against law enforcement in their own cities.
That’s political suicide, and they’re too blinded by Trump Derangement Syndrome to see it.
Regular folks in Chicago don’t care about partisan politics when they’re afraid to walk to the corner store.
They just want their streets to be safe again.
Trump figured out how to make Democrats choose between their radical base and public safety – and either choice makes them look terrible to normal Americans.
The President is forcing them to show their true priorities, and it’s not pretty.
When given the choice between scoring political points against Trump and protecting their own citizens, these Democrat politicians are choosing politics every single time.
Here’s the beautiful part – Trump wins no matter what they do.
If they accept federal help, he gets credit for solving their crime problem.
If they reject it, they look like they care more about opposing Trump than protecting families.
Turley called it exactly right – this is political chess played at the highest level, and Democrats just got checkmated without even realizing it.
¹ Jonathan Turley, Fox News appearance, "America Reports," September 2, 2025.
² Ibid.
³ Donald Trump, Truth Social post, August 25, 2025.
⁴ Pam Bondi, X post, September 2, 2025.
