Megyn Kelly — one of President Trump’s most prominent media boosters — broke ranks this week, warning him he has no constitutional authority to send federal troops into Chicago without the governor’s consent.
On her SiriusXM show, Kelly rejected Trump’s suggestion of unilaterally dispatching soldiers to the crime-plagued city, saying bluntly: “It very clearly is not constitutionally permissible. He cannot do it.”
“So we can’t have Trump going in without the invitation of this governor. I’m sorry, but we can’t have it. He does not have the constitutional permission to do it,” the former Fox News primetime star told listeners on Wednesday.
“I really hope he doesn’t do it, because I don’t want a world in which I’m siding with Gov. [JB] Pritzker over President Trump,” Kelly continued, naming Illinois’ Democratic governor.
“But I will if he does it, because he can’t do it legally.”
Kelly said she hoped Trump would ultimately step back, noting she sympathized with Chicago residents but would not bend her legal principles.
“I’m sorry for the people of Chicago because I wish their governor would be better and ask for help,” she said. “But I think Trump knows that.”
The Post has sought comment from the White House.
Kelly’s sharp rebuke marked a rare split from Trump. The veteran journalist has reinvented herself over the past two years as one of Trump’s fiercest defenders after once being one of his top targets.
Kelly’s relationship with Trump has been a tumultuous one. She clashed bitterly with him in 2015 after grilling him during a GOP debate on his past remarks about women. Trump retaliated with a barrage of insults, accusing her of bias and infamously quipping she had “blood coming out of her wherever.”
For months, their feud consumed headlines. Kelly described Trump’s personal attacks as “bizarre” and “scary.” Trump refused to appear in debates she moderated and routinely trashed her on social media.
By 2016, the two made a public truce after a private meeting, with Kelly conducting a televised interview that hinted at mutual respect. But the scars lingered, and she left Fox News for NBC before launching her own independent media ventures.
Over time, Kelly’s stance softened. By 2023, she was telling audiences she could set aside her personal feelings and focus on Trump’s policies, particularly immigration, women’s rights and her opposition to what she called “gender madness.”
By the 2024 campaign, she had flipped fully into Trump’s corner — appearing with him at a Pittsburgh rally, posting selfies together and declaring she was “100% cheering” for his comeback.
She hailed him as a “protector of women” and blasted President Joe Biden’s tenure as “catastrophic.”
Trump has deployed National Guard units and Marines to Los Angeles and Washington, DC, due to rampant crime and unrest. The moves have drawn legal challenges and sparked widespread protests.
A federal judge recently ruled his use of troops in Los Angeles violated the Posse Comitatus Act, temporarily blocking them from law enforcement duties, while the DC deployment is expected to continue through the end of this year.
Trump has also repeatedly threatened to send troops and federal law enforcement to Chicago and Baltimore, despite fierce opposition from local and state officials such as Pritzker.
Chicago has long been a Republican punching bag, with Trump and conservative media pointing to violent crime rates as evidence of failed Democratic leadership.
Trump suggested he could deploy federal troops to stabilize the city, even without a request from Pritzker.
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