Text: Senator Tami Dakurth on “Confronting the Nation with Margaret Brennan”, September 7, 2025

Below is a copy of an interview with Senator Tami Dakright, Democrat Illinois, who was broadcast on “confrontation with the nation with Margaret Brennan” on September 7, 2025.

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Margaret Brennan: We are now joined by the democratic Senator Tami Dakrith. You join us this morning from Schomburg, Illinois. Good morning to you, Senator.

Senator Tami Daklith: Good morning.

Margaret Brennan: So I attended, as I understood, a demonstration yesterday in Chicago, where thousands of people on the street protested against President Trump’s pledge to send immigration agents. I know that it has also been published on social media that indicates that the forces will enter. He quoted, “Chicago is about to know a reason called the Ministry of War.” Vice Vice President Vice says there are no plans to send troops. Do you have a tangible signal, now, there are plans to do this?

Sen. DuckWorth: Let’s mainly explain the President of the United States about the war on a major city in his nation. This is not normal, Margaret. This is not an acceptable behavior. No, we do not have any indications of preparing to send forces to Chicago. In fact, I was outside the base of the Great Lakes yesterday, the base of maritime training, and they were able to confirm that the only assistance asked to be provided is just a desktop for ice, but there are no barracks, there are no detention facilities, none of them are requested or prepared to support the forces in Chicago.

Margaret Brennan: So, is this fair, as you know, garbage discussions on social media? When you say it declares war, is this tongue in the cheek?

Sen. Duckworth: I think it is renamed the Ministry of Defense in the Ministry of War, and did he not only say that Chicago will discover what it means to be in the war? I do not- I take what the President of the United States says seriously, because this is the respect you must offer to the office. If this is what is announced, let me explain, then this will be illegal to declare war on a major city, that is, a city within the United States, by the President of the United States.

Margaret Brennan: I must say that the Senator, I know that you just mentioned that you went out to the Grand Maritime Training Station, I must say, and I said that the military leadership said it will only get a office space, and the ice cannot bring fatal munitions, and resources will not be distorted from military training. So all this together, do you breathe a sigh of relief and say this will not have a real impact on the army?

Sen. Duckworth: Well, we will make sure there is no effect on the army. We need to make sure of this, as you know, the base of marine training in the Great Lakes is the place where every recruiter in the US Navy passes to obtain this basic training, then some advanced training. We need to make sure that it is not a single dollar, and not one fils of their resources that must be directed towards training sailors in our nation and make them ready to dare to their jobs, none of these funds need to transfer them to support ice or any of Donald Trump’s political efforts, as you know, on the stage. We need to focus on making sure that we are offering the best sailors that we can get out of the base.

Margaret Brennan: Regarding how Democrats responded to this, this speech, the governor of Chicago Tribune, who made a mistake in his threats, is to quote, “not standing idle” if the guard enters. They wrote, “What does this threat really mean? It seems that there is a lot of tension here. Is there an opportunity to work with the administration to avoid making this worse?

Sen. Duckworth: Well, they are not- they did not respond to any of our requests. I mean, I will give you a very concrete example. Senator Durbin, I, a member of the Senator Schneider- member of Congress Schneider, sent requests to the Ministry of National Security to ask them to explain what exactly you will do in the Great Lakes? Can we look at your facility so that we have a better understanding of your operations? They answered, no, you can not. In fact, their employees gave a holiday the day when we went to look at the facilities, closed the doors and left the base. Basically, they escaped from the base. This is not the work of a person who does something legal or is proud of it. They literally gave people today, closed the doors and left. Now the navy allowed us to the post. They allowed us to roam abroad from the facility and also where they will store non -deadly munitions. But the Ministry of National Security did not appear. Certainly, the administration sent multiple inquiries about what they are planning to do. Who bring to Chicago? Are they planning to bring the National Guard? They have no- none of this. They did not even communicate with the application of the local law to try to coordinate. As you know, if they are really interested in fighting crime, they will work with the application of local law and ask them, what do you need? What help do you need? We did not get any contacts or reactions from the administration, at all.

Margaret Brennan: I want to ask you in the role of armed services about what is an important geopolitical meeting this week. You have a lot of American opponents gather together. Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Kim Jong Un from North Korea, all in Beijing. China and Russia seem to deepen their work together. What do you think of referring to the United States here?

Sen. Duckworth: The signal to the United States is exactly what these authoritarian regimes want to send exactly, which is that it is the new global power, that America loses its land, and that it does not fully respect the United States. I think it was very clear, as you know, it does not escape from me, the fact that once this meeting, which was insulting Donald Trump, was answered immediately by saying, well, I will rename the Ministry of Defense in the Ministry of War and announce the war on Chicago. This is what Donald Trump does when something bad happens to him in the news cycle, or when Epstein’s victims meet and collect a very emotional press conference, changes the topic and spends us by saying things like, I will send ice to Chicago, I will do that or do that. The American people cannot be deceived. We cannot allow him to pay attention to what is really happening, and he is a man who pushed our economy to the point where there are now a few unemployed more than jobs. As you know, we do not sell our agricultural products abroad. Our opponents are united against us.

Margaret Brennan: Well, the unemployment rate is still low, but I hear you in the number of more expected jobs. Very quickly, there was a military action taken in the backyard of America by the Trump administration. “Kartel members who call our citizens are the highest and best use of our army,” says Vice President Vice. He was talking about a blow on an alleged drug boat, off the coast of Venezuela. What do you offer from this power offer?

Sen. DuckWorth: It was illegal- it was an illegal step by the Trump administration. There is something called legal procedures in this country, and this requires it. The fact that this happened in the international system- in international waters, in reality, the Americans open a similar work by our opponents. You only- we were only talking about Vladimir Putin and Shi Jinping, gathered us and showing us- an offer to force against the United States. Well, there is nothing that now prevents them from doing something like that against Americans in international waters. Civilians can be, and they can say, do you know what? These were drug boats. We just go forward and blow them out of water. You- he puts a prerequisite here endangering Americans.

Margaret Brennan: Senator Dakrith, thank you for your time this morning. We will return.