Trump tweets he will send federal law enforcement into Chicago after apparently watching Bill O'Reilly segment

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Fox News

Bill O'Reilly on Fox News.

President Donald Trump may be making decisions based on what he watches on Fox News.

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Late on Tuesday, the president tweeted about the gun violence in Chicago, writing "If Chicago doesn't fix the horrible 'carnage' going on, 228 shootings in 2017 with 42 killings (up 24% from 2016), I will send in the Feds!"

Numerous reporters noted that Trump's tweet came shortly after an "O'Reilly Factor" segment on the same topic, which cited the same statistics, and even used the word "carnage," a favorite recent Trump noun.

Though Chicago does have a higher number of gun deaths than any other major city, the number of deaths per capita is notably lower than other cities because of Chicago's large population. And while the city has attempted to use strict gun laws to curb shootings, 60% of guns used in shootings last year were purchased out of state.

Tuesday's tweet is hardly the first time that Trump has fired off a proposal in reaction to a segment on television.

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Axios confirmed that Trump reads the New York Times and the New York Post, and frequently tunes in to cable television, most notably MSNBC's "Morning Joe" and NBC's "Meet The Press," and will praise or criticize aides after performances on television.

Indeed, many top policy makers have attempted to get their message to him via his favorite television programs.

Appearing on "Morning Joe" on Wednesday, Rep. Elijah Cummings thanked host Joe Scarborough for asking him about how he would work with Trump on reducing prescription drug pricing, and then spoke directly to the president.

"Joe, I want to thank you all for giving that opening and to the president, I know you're watching so I'm looking forward to meeting with you," Cummings said.