CHICAGO () — Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson on Tuesday pushed back sharply against President Donald Trump after Trump claimed in a social media post that the city “will die” unless elected leaders ask for federal help to curb violence.
Johnson addressed the comments during a news conference focused on emergency assistance for people affected by Tuesday’s mass shooting in Washington Park.
“I find him to be a sorry individual, and if he was serious about driving violence down not just in Chicago, but across the country, he would not be engaged in endless illegal wars,” Johnson said. “The president is investing more to bomb children than he is to feed children. He has an open invitation in Chicago and across this country to reverse the largest upward transfer of wealth that he placed into the hands of the ultra-rich and actually fund the institutions and operations that ultimately provide safety and security for the people of this city and in this nation.”
The mayor continued his criticism, saying, “When you have a president who is literally defunding the operations that can actually assist us in creating safer communities, it’s difficult to take anything that he says seriously.”
Trump, in his post, painted a grim picture of public safety in Chicago, writing, “Chicago violence is unchecked and at record levels. It has never been worse! This weekend 41 people were shot, 3 DEAD. These numbers are becoming normalized. It is out of control!”
Trump also said he was waiting for either Johnson or Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker to contact him for federal assistance. “The city will die if the Federal Government, a fine tuned crime fighting machine, is not invited in, by the Mayor or Governor, to HELP. I am awaiting the call. Nobody should be forced to live under these conditions,” he wrote.
The exchange comes after Chicago recorded its largest mass shooting of the year over the weekend.
A 35-year-old man was killed and 14 other people were injured. Chicago police have not released details about any suspects.
President Trump also bragged about his efforts in the nation’s capital and in other cities claiming, “Like D.C. and others, they will have almost no crime, FAST! The State and City can’t do what I do. Governor Pritzker, CALL!!!”
Both the mayor and Pritzker have previously clashed with President Trump over threats to deploy the National Guard in Chicago.
Pritzker had said the president is neither wanted nor needed in the city, before launching a political attack blasting government tariff policies.
Pritzker posted a response to Trump saying, “When Trump last sent agents to Illinois, they murdered a father and shot an innocent woman in broad daylight – then attempted to cover it up. We need to keep reducing violence, but this President does not make it easier. If only he hadn’t defunded the very programs that help.”
President Trump, who has previously branded Chicago a hell hole, will be heading to the Chicago area later this month for the Presidents Cup golf tournament at Medinah Country Club in DuPage County. It gets underway on Sept. 24. He’s the event’s honorary chairman.
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