President Donald Trump is offering to “make Chicago safe,” according to a scathing letter he wrote to Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker on Friday after the city experienced its most violent day in 60 years.
Trump writes that he was approaching the two Democrats after reading about the violent day of May 31, when 18 people were killed, in a report published in the Chicago Sun-Times.
“His lack of leadership on this important issue continues to fail the people he has sworn to protect,” writes Trump.
“I am concerned that it is another example of their lack of commitment to vulnerable citizens who are victims of this violence and the lack of respect for the men and women of law enforcement.”
President Donald Trump is offering to “make Chicago safe,” according to a scathing letter he wrote to Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker on Friday after the city experienced its most violent day in 60 years.
Trump writes that he was approaching Lightfoot and Pritzker, both Democrats, after reading about the violent day of May 31, when 18 people were killed, in a report published in the Chicago Sun-Times.
Lightfoot tweeted an answer Friday night, without specifically naming the president or mentioning the letter,
“It is despicable, unpleasant and too typical,” wrote the mayor.
The same tired old playbook. How about leadership that is not immersed in divide and conquer tactics?
Lightfoot, in a second tweet, promised to support Pritzker in providing “safety and well-being to our residents.”
Lightfoot tweeted a response Friday night, without specifically naming the president or mentioning the letter.
The Mayor also pledged to support Pritzker to ensure the safety of residents.
A Pritzker spokesman also tweeted that Trump “is a failure that has once again resorted to a trick by the press in an attempt to distract himself from his long list of failures, especially his response to the deadly coronavirus and national calls for racial justice.” .
On Thursday, the president also voiced his concern for Chicago during a Fox News town hall in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Trump was visiting Fincantieri Marinette Marine, a Marinette shipyard, to announce a new contract with the military that he says could create up to 6,000 jobs in the area.
During the event, Fox news anchor Sean Hannity pressured the president to speak about recent demands for law and order and the escalation of violence in Chicago, to which the president replied that it was “worse than Afghanistan.”
In recounting the details of the Sun-Times story in his letter, Trump described “the following horrors”:
‘A working father killed. A West Side high school student killed. A freshman college student hoping to become a correctional officer, shot dead. 18 people died on Sunday, May 31, the most violent day in Chicago in six decades. ”
He adds that “on the weekend of May 29, 25 people died and another 85 were shot and wounded.” It also notes that police resources were already “depleted” in response to protests and looting by George Floyd.
In recounting the details of the deadly and violent night in Chicago in his letter, Trump described “horrors” and notes that police resources were already “depleted” in response to the protests and looting of George Floyd (pictured)
Trump then offered a long description of how the federal government has provided financial assistance to help Chicago fight crime.
“These funds are in addition to those raised through his insatiable appetite and combined to tax the people of Illinois and Chicago,” he tells Lightfoot and Pritzker.
The Republican President also touts his record on criminal justice and police reform.
Trump letter to Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker
Trump’s letter has a long description of how the federal government has provided financial assistance to help Chicago fight crime. “These funds are in addition to those raised through their combined and insatiable appetite to tax the people of Illinois and Chicago,” he adds.
Trump then points out that he is different from his predecessors on both sides.
“I am ready to face unresolved challenges,” wrote the president. “If you are willing to put aside partisanship, we can revitalize Chicago’s distressed neighborhoods together.”
“But to be successful, you must establish law and order,” adds Trump. He makes them an offer to have his cabinet members meet with Lightfoot and Pritzker “to help devise a plan to make Chicago safe, as a successful formula has eluded both you and your predecessors.”
Trump adds that his administration appreciates working with the mayor and governor on bipartisan policy recommendations to improve policing and ‘make our big cities safe for everyone.
But the president adds yet another blow, saying that “unfortunately, you continue to put your own political interests ahead of the lives, safety, and fortune of your own citizens.”
“The people of Chicago deserve better.”
.
