US President Donald Trump has referred to the Midwestern city of Chicago as a "war zone" because of a spike in gun violence that resulted in hundreds of deaths there last year.
"Chicago is like a war zone," Trump said in an interview with American broadcaster ABC News.
"It is carnage. It's horrible carnage," Trump said in the interview with ABC's David Muir.
Trump seemed to reiterate earlier assertions that he would send in federal police if law enforcement agencies did not get the violence under control.
"They're not doing the job. Now if they want help, I would love to help them. I will send in what we have to send in," Trump said.
Early this month, the Chicago Police Department said there were a total of 762 murders in the city of over 2.7 million inhabitants in 2016 - more than two murders a day.
In addition, 3,550 shooting incidents were reported, with 4,331 victims. A police spokesman described the numbers as "unacceptable."
Police have blamed gang violence and illegal guns on the street for the violence.
