Four hours. That’s how long President Donald Trump sat with his Cabinet this week—longer than many full days in Washington are devoted to actual governance—and the session was anything but idle. From urban crime to foreign policy, the meeting underscored a presidency unafraid to flex federal power while simultaneously positioning itself as a force for peace abroad.
The headline, of course, was Trump’s pointed exchange over crime-ravaged cities like Chicago. With Washington, D.C. already under federal oversight and National Guard units deployed to restore order, the president made clear that similar interventions are on the table elsewhere. Illinois Democrats, led by Gov. JB Pritzker, erupted at the mere suggestion. But Trump’s answer left no ambiguity: “I have the right to do anything I want to do. I’m the president of the United States. If I think our country’s in danger, and it is in danger in these cities, I can do it.”
🚨 JUST IN: President Trump sends a STRONG warning to IL Gov. Pritzker, who demanded Trump keep the National Guard OUT of Chicago
“I have the right to do anything I want to do. I’m the President of the United States.” 🔥
SEND IN THE TROOPS, 47! pic.twitter.com/aYiqb1K5kN
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) August 26, 2025
That one line was enough to trigger howls from the left, but Trump framed it as both a constitutional prerogative and a duty to protect. He added that cooperation with governors would be ideal, but not necessary. To his supporters, the message was clear: law and order will not be outsourced to feckless local leaders who can’t—or won’t—get the job done.
Inside the Cabinet Room, the atmosphere was not all steel and seriousness. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, already juggling a comically long list of “acting” assignments, reprised his Labor Day quip about holding four jobs at once. The president laughed. So did the press corps. It was a moment of levity amid the weight of decisions that will reverberate from Chicago’s South Side to Kyiv.
Where we’re at:
“I have the right to do anything I want to do. I’m the president of the United States.” – Trump in front of his full Cabinet today
— Edward-Isaac Dovere (@IsaacDovere) August 26, 2025
On that note, Trump pivoted seamlessly to foreign policy. Asked about Russia’s declaration that it would not meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump brushed it aside: “Everybody’s posturing. It’s all bulls**t. Ok.” It was vintage Trump—blunt, dismissive of diplomatic theatrics, yet hinting at progress below the surface.
Indeed, sources confirm that a peace deal between Moscow and Kyiv remains the administration’s foremost foreign policy objective. With Ukraine’s battlefield realities shifting and Russia signaling flexibility in everything but its public rhetoric, insiders suggest that something significant may be in the works. Should Trump succeed in brokering even the outline of a truce, the Nobel Peace Prize conversation—long dismissed by critics—will become unavoidable.
🚨 MARCO RUBIO: “This is the most meaningful Labor Day of my life… as someone with four jobs”
LMFAO pic.twitter.com/qooOFmUinF
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) August 26, 2025
Domestically, the Democrats call it uncharted waters. Trump calls it leadership. Deploying specialized National Guard units to violent cities while simultaneously negotiating peace between warring nations is not the mark of a passive presidency. It is the mark of a president who believes his office carries both the right—and the responsibility—to act decisively.
