The mayor of Chicago has a message for Donald Trump: stay away.
“Our motto: a city he’ll never sleep in. We don’t want him there,” Rahm Emanuel said on “The Late Show” with Stephen Colbert.
A prominent Democratic powerbroker, Mr Emanuel served in Congress and then as Barack Obama’s chief of staff before departing the White House and becoming mayor of America’s third-largest city.
Since Mr Trump’s ascension, Mr Emanuel has promoted Chicago’s opposition to the president’s policies, including as a “sanctuary city” that limits cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities.
After Mr Trump decided to let lapse a program protecting young immigrants who are in the country illegally, Mr Emanuel declared the city a “Trump-free zone”.
He reiterated that description during his appearance on Mr Colbert’s show and detailed. other initiatives Chicago has taken that clash with the Trump administration. Those include suing the Environmental Protection Agency and embracing measures to limit climate change.
“Donald Trump is driving forward looking through the rear-view mirror,” Mr Emanuel said.
The lack of love is mutual. Mr Trump regularly portrays Chicago as an example of failed liberal policies, pointing to its high murder rate.
In June he cited rampant crime to say he was “sending in Federal help,” a claim that he did not elaborate or act upon.
