WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he will direct federal law enforcement intervention to combat crime in Chicago and Baltimore, despite staunch opposition from elected leaders and many residents in both cities.

Asked by reporters in the Oval Office about sending National Guard troops to the nation's third-largest city, Trump said, “We’re going in,” but added, “I didn’t say when.”

“I have an obligation," the president said. ”This isn't a political thing."

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a potential 2028 Democratic presidential contender, scoffed at the notion of sending military troops and federal agents into Chicago, reiterating Tuesday that federal intervention was not required or wanted.

Local officials in Baltimore have joined Democratic Maryland Gov. Wes Moore i

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