Donald Trump spoke at an event for police chiefs in Chicago on Monday, and his remarks were unfortunate, to say the least.
The president has used the city as a punching bag on numerous occasions in the past, lampooning the city’s crime problem from his bully pulpit.
For instance, in a January 2017 interview with ABC, he compared Chicago to Afghanistan. “Afghanistan is not like what’s happening in Chicago”, he remarked, adding that he’s tempted to “send in the feds” to help get the “horrible carnage” under control.
“People are being shot left and right, thousands of people over a short period of time,” he added. “Chicago is like a war zone”.
Trump reiterated all of that (including the Afghanistan comparison) on Monday. He also took the opportunity to make fun of Jussie Smollett.
Police superintendent Eddie Johnson boycotted the president’s speech, prompting Chicago’s Fraternal Order of Police to issue a vote of no confidence. One opinion writer for the Chicago Tribune who has been critical of Johnson in past columns called the FOP’s decision “clownish” and a gift to the superintendent.
“As police officers, our job is to be the voice for the voiceless and ambassadors to the communities that we serve”, Johnson said, in response to the vote. “I can’t in good conscience stand by while racial insults and hatred are cast from the oval office or Chicago is held hostage because of our views on new Americans”.
Trump blasted Johnson at the event. “There is one person who is not here today. We’re in Chicago. I said, ‘Where is he? I want to talk to him.’ More than anyone else, he should be here, because maybe he could learn something”, the president remarked, in the course of claiming that he (Trump) has “done more than any president has ever done for the police”.
That’s clearly ridiculous, not to mention impossible to quantify. That is, even if that claim were true, nobody would know it, because how do you define “done more than anybody for the police”? What is that based on? Who knows. Certainly not Trump.
He also said he’ll sign an executive order inaugurating a new commission on law enforcement. William Barr, the president said, is set to announce a “crackdown on violent crimes” over the next few weeks. It will target “gangs and drug traffickers” (but probably not international lobbying aimed at undermining the CIA and the FBI, something Barr is in the process of doing right now).
Earlier, protesters gathered outside Trump Tower Chicago, chanting “Lock Him Up!” and holding impeachment signs.
It was the same cry heard at the World Series on Sunday evening, when Trump was loudly booed by thousands of fans.
Chicago isn’t the only US city Trump has compared to Afghanistan. Over the summer, during his one-sided war of words with the late Elijah Cummings, the president asked a crowd in Cincinnati to name a place (any place) where they imagine there’s a lot of killing.
When one fan said “Afghanistan”, Trump proceeded to compare Baltimore to the war-torn country.
If Chicago were really like Afghanistan that horrific Trump sign would be full of bullet holes. That sign is a blight and an eyesore on Chicago’s beautiful riverfront
Has anyone noticed how much POTUS looks like Il Duce when he poses like the banner above. I wonder if he practices in the mirror.