Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson accused the Trump administration of deliberately targeting his city for political reasons rather than public safety concerns.
Appearing Friday on MSNBC’s The Briefing, Johnson responded to host Jen Psaki’s question about Trump’s threats to deploy the National Guard to Chicago and his administration’s immigration crackdown.
“Well, it’s because there’s clearly a disdain for working people,” Johnson said. “Instead of the federal government and the president of the United States focusing on how we can drive unemployment down in our communities, make sure that people can put food on the table, and ensure every child has access to high-quality education, he has done the opposite. He has sown seeds of division, working to not only divide communities, but conquer them.”
Johnson argued that his administration’s investments are yielding results. He cited over 31,000 summer jobs for young people, an expansion of mental and behavioral health care, progress toward building 10,000 affordable housing units, and reforms in the city’s detective bureau.
“As a result of those investments, homicides are down 32%, shootings down nearly 40%, robberies down nearly 35%, and carjackings down almost 50%,” Johnson said. “There is more work to do, but what I know works is investing in people — especially communities historically locked out of opportunity. That’s how we build safe and affordable communities, not just in Chicago, but across America.”
The mayor dismissed Trump’s threats as political theater: “This is not about crime. He’s working to divide and conquer communities. Donald Trump does not want another election.”
