President Trump Donald John TrumpUS reimposes UN sanctions on Iran amid increasing tensions Jeff Flake: Republicans 'should hold the same position' on SCOTUS vacancy as 2016 Trump supporters chant 'Fill that seat' at North Carolina rally MORE in a Wednesday night interview said “Democrats have ruled the inner cities” for years and that the city of Chicago “is out of control.”

“Don't forget, the Democrats have ruled the inner cities for 100 years. This is their rule. Very rarely do you have a Republican that — but this is their rule,” Trump said on Fox News’s “Hannity.”

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“That can be turned around. We can do so many things but the Democrats have truly ruled. And when I was running I would always say, ‘What do you have to lose?’ ”

The president also referred to his past criticism of the city of Chicago, saying it’s “out of control” with violence.

“I don't know what they're doing in Chicago to have this many shootings and this many killings and all of the different things that are going on,” Trump said. "When you look at the Obama years. Chicago: one city, his adopted home town, 3,900 people were murdered. In the last six years of Obama's presidency, 18,000 shootings. I don't think he mentioned it but three or four times."

Trump also commented on police, saying "if they were allowed to do their jobs they could stop" murders in inner cities.

"Well first of all, minorities want police protection more than anybody. They need it more than anybody. What's going on is crazy. And you look at some of these inner cities where it's just out of control, and remember, I was saying things like we will — you know, what do you have to lose?" Trump said. "We will fix it. We're going to fix it. But one of the things we're doing very strongly now is the inner cities."