Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot accused President Donald Trump of using victims of gun violence "to score cheap political points" after the president penned a letter to the mayor and Illinois Gov. Pritzker urging action to combat gun violence in the city and condemning their leadership.
In the letter, the president said while he has been heartened to see crime reductions nationally the last few years, he has "been horrified by the continued violence in this Great American city."
The president explained how he read an article from the Chicago Sun-Times dated June 8, 2020, “18 murders in 24 hours: Inside the most violent day in 60 years in Chicago,” which discussed how May 31 was the most violence day in decades in the city.
Additionally, this past Father's Day weekend, 102 people were shot, 14 of those victims fatally, across Chicago.
"Your lack of leadership on this important issue continues to fail the people you have sworn to protect," the president said in his letter to Lightfoot and Pritzker. "I am concerned it is another example of your lack of commitment to the vulnerable citizens who are victims of this violence and a lack of respect for the men and women in law enforcement."
The president also called on the mayor and governor to put partisanship aside and work with him to revitalize distressed neighborhoods.
"But to succeed, you must establish law and order," he said. "...Unfortunately, you continue to put your own political interests ahead of the lives, safety, and fortunes of your own citizens.The people of Chicago deserve better."
In response to President Trump's letter, Mayor Lightfoot tweeted Friday night that she doesn't need leadership lesson from Donald Trump.
"As our police officers, street outreach workers and residents continue to work tirelessly to keep our communities safe, he's using the victims of gun violence in our city to score cheap political points, spew racist rhetoric, and ignore the impact of COVID across this country," she said. "It is despicable, disgusting and all too typical. Same old tired playbook. How about some leadership not steeped in the divide and conquer tactics?"
Lightfoot added she stands with Gov. Pritzker in providing for the safety and well-being of the city's residents.
