President Donald Trump’s latest meme has created havoc. Over the weekend, Trump shared a social media meme invoking the “Department of WAR” in reference to the city. His AI-generated image references Francis Ford Coppola’s classic film, Apocalypse Now. The scene shows him as Lt. Col. Bill Kilgore, complete with military helicopters hovering over the Chicago skyline.
The meme, “Chipocalypse Now,” included the chilling line: “I love the smell of deportations in the morning… Chicago about to find out why it’s called the Department of WAR.” This stunt came after Trump threatened to send National Guard troops to Chicago after he did it in Washington, D.C.
As per The Irish Star, the meme sparked immense backlash. One user remarked, “Trump going full napalm in ‘Chipocalypse Now’—a revealing glimpse of his incendiary, insecure leadership.” Another added, “It’s really funny that Trump is using imagery of Apocalypse Now to talk about sending the military to Chicago.”
Despite criticism, Donald Trump has stood by the decision, calling the new name “much more appropriate.” In fact, he lashed out at NBC’s Yamiche Alcindor as she asked him, “Are you trying to go to war with Chicago?” referring to the viral meme.
He suddenly blasted her and said, “When you say that, darling, that’s fake news,” he snapped. When Alcindor attempted a follow-up, Trump interrupted her, saying, “Listen. Be quiet. Listen. You don’t listen. You never listen. That’s why you’re second-rate.” Many slammed the 79-year-old for publicly insulting a female reporter with his rude remarks and voiced their thoughts on X (formerly Twitter).
Adding to the controversy, the use of Vietnam War references drew backlash, especially from Ronald Kuby, a well-known civil rights attorney who publicly called Trump a “draft dodger.” According to the outlet, Kuby allegedly claimed that Donald Trump “was a Vietnam draft dodger” who had “taken advantage of deferments to avoid being drafted.”
I’m a big @realDonaldTrump supporter , but this Napalm in the Morning stuff is stupid… His ego has taken over and he has become way too cocky. Time to reel it in and get back into your body.
@StephenM @PressSec @MariaBartiromo @JesseBWatters @LauraLoomer
— manny schaal (@CMaru43) September 7, 2025
Trump was previously eligible for the draft (1-A) in 1968. Still, by 1972, he received a 4-F, but due to his recent health diagnosis and concerns that made people believe that he was unfit for office, despite his clean health records as per tests done in April 2025.
In addition, former President Joe Biden also faced draft dodging accusations, claiming asthma, a severe breathing issue, as his justification to skip military service. However, biographers and Associated Press journalists have pointed out that Biden never mentioned asthma in his 2007 memoir. On the contrary, he described himself as an active youth who worked as a lifeguard.
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The entire issue with the troops began when Trump deployed 2,000 troops to Washington, D.C., a few months ago, after claiming that crime rates in the capital city had increased without any proper proof of it. The troops carried firearms just as it was in Los Angeles during the immigration protests in June 2025.
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However, those troops were seen cleaning garbage from the streets a few weeks ago. Meanwhile, last month, further speculation was fueled when Donald Trump announced that Chicago may be the next target of his controversial “crime crackdown.”
“I think Chicago will be our next,” Trump told reporters from the White House, before adding, “And then we’ll help with New York.” Therefore, besides all the drama, Donald Trump’s continued use of imagery suggesting a military-style crackdown on Chicago has only further increased tensions in the country.
