Trump as Colonel Kilgore, Smell of Vietnam in the Streets of Chicago

Donald Trump, by sharing an image inspired by the film "Apocalypse Now," emphasized that the city of Chicago will soon understand why the Department of Defense was renamed the Department of War.

News ID: 86638

Date: 07 September 2025 - 10:57

TEHRAN (Defapress) - Donald Trump, by sharing an image from the film "Apocalypse Now", this time with military helicopters flying over the city of Chicago instead of Vietnam, announced his intention to deploy National Guard troops and immigration agents to America's third-largest city.

Trump wrote on his social media: "I love the smell of deportations in the morning...’ Chicago about to find out why it’s called the Department of WAR."

"Apocalypse Now" is a dystopian film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, made in 1979, about the Vietnam War. In the film, one of the characters delivers the famous line: "I love the smell of napalm in the morning."

Trump shared an image showing him against the backdrop of Chicago's skyscrapers, wearing a hat similar to that of Colonel Kilgore, the warmongering and unethical character played by Robert Duvall in the film.

The U.S. president signed an executive order on Friday that changed the name of the Department of Defense to the Department of War, despite having spent months campaigning to be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Leaders in Chicago announced they would sue the Trump administration in court. The governor of Illinois, who is being mentioned as a potential Democratic candidate for 2028, wrote on X: "The president is threatening to go to war with an American city. This is no joke. The situation is abnormal. Donald Trump is not a powerful man. He is a coward. Illinois is not afraid of this copycat dictator."

Donald Trump had previously responded to accusations of being a dictator by saying: "Most people say, if Trump roots out crime, it doesn't matter whether he's a dictator or not. Of course, I'm not a dictator. Not that I don't have the power. I have the power to do whatever I want. I am the president of the United States, and if I believe the country is in danger, I will do whatever is necessary."

The Trump administration aims to intensify the enforcement of immigration laws in Chicago by deploying National Guard troops, similar to what was done in Los Angeles. Last month, Trump also deployed National Guard troops to Washington. The U.S. president has threatened that Baltimore, New Orleans, Portland, and Oregon will face the same treatment.