President Donald Trump and Democratic Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker are undoubtedly enjoying the media spotlight accompanying their feud over possible deployment of federalized National Guard troops to Chicago after the crackdown in Washington, D.C. Neither man has ever shied away from a television camera, and Pritzker has White House ambitions of his own. But while both men savor the attention, the fact is that Pritzker has the better hand to play. Trump doesn't have the same authority in Chicago that he has in D.C. And the president has more to lose in a showdown over law and order in a city—or any jurisdiction—governed by his political opponents.
Earlier this month, President Trump declared a state of emergency in Washington, D.C., so federal authorities could nudge the local government aside and assume responsibility for fighting crime.
