The war of words between President Donald Trump and Democratic city leaders intensified Tuesday when Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson accused the president of attacking him out of fear—specifically, fear of “the intellectual prowess of black men.”
At a press conference, Johnson was asked to respond to Trump’s latest remarks calling him and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker “incompetent” over their handling of crime in Chicago. Trump had delivered those comments while touting his aggressive crackdown on violent crime in Washington, D.C., which included deploying the National Guard and federalizing the Metropolitan Police Department.
“The president has always been intimidated by the intellectual prowess of black men,” Johnson told reporters. “And so of course he would speak in those petite and puerile terms because he’s small.”
Chicago Mayor: “Trump is intimidated by the intellectual prowess of blacks like me” pic.twitter.com/4MM69lyfQ1
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) August 13, 2025
Johnson went on to accuse Trump of spreading misinformation about Chicago’s crime rates, warning that any federal intervention—such as sending in the National Guard—would “destabilize” the city and “undermine public safety.”
Trump, however, has signaled he’s willing to use Chicago as the next testing ground for his federal crime strategy. “I’m going to look at New York in a little while,” the president said Monday. “And if we need to, we’re going to do the same thing in Chicago, which is a disaster.”
Governor Pritzker joined Johnson in dismissing Trump’s criticism—albeit in less charged terms, attacking Trump’s business record and personal conduct. “I reject criticism… from Donald Trump, who inherited his money and then went bankrupt six times and then defrauded his business partners. And by the way, he cheats at golf too,” Pritzker said.
Both Illinois leaders argued that Trump’s plan to send federal forces into Chicago would violate the U.S. Constitution, though Trump has insisted his administration’s legal team has identified paths to act if needed.
The political back-and-forth comes against a complicated statistical backdrop. According to the Chicago Tribune, the city has recorded 246 homicides as of August 8—a decrease of 110 compared to 2024. Overall violent crime in the first half of 2025 is down 22% from last year, though Chicago remains well above pre-pandemic levels.
