When someone is petty and childish, people of grace and dignity may try to ignore their words. But sometimes others demand a response.
Such is what happened to the mayor of Chicago, Illinois.
MAGA Republican President Donald Trump recently displayed his normal level of maturity when threatening another unprovoked federal attack on an American city in retaliation for bruising his ego.
Trump is upset with Illinois Democratic Governor JB Pritzker for granting asylum to Texas Democrats defying his demand that Texas gerrymander their voting districts so he can retain control of the House of Representatives in the 2026 midterms despite his record disapproval ratings.
Trump decided to target Chicago on Monday, just as he targeted Los Angeles when California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom hurt his fragile ego. And as he did in Washington, D.C., where the federal government actually has some jurisdiction.
It's worth noting Trump claimed his actions in D.C. were predicated by crime in the nation's capital, but his own agencies' statistics show crime in the city were at a 30 year low.
Trump's actions in D.C. are not justified if crime was the impetus.
Trump stated:
"Every place in the country you have no cash bail is a disaster. That's what started it in New York and they won't change it, they don't want to change it. That's what started it in Chicago."
"That's where it started, no cash bail. I mean, somebody murders somebody and they're out on no cash bail before the day is out."
"Other cities are hopefully watching [Washington D.C.]. They’re all watching, just like everyone’s watching here, they’re all watching, and maybe they’ll self-clean up."
Trump claimed he'd end no cash bail in places where the federal government has no jurisdiction and no legal means to overturn state laws and local statutes.
Trump then threatened:
"I’m going to look at New York in a little while, and if we need to, we're going to do the same thing in Chicago, which is a disaster."
"We have a mayor [in Chicago] that's totally incompetent. He's an incompetent man."
Trump went on to body shame Democratic Governor Pritzker and imply he was a failure in business, saying:
"And we have an incompetent governor there, Pritzker's an incompetent. His family threw him out of the business and he ran for governor. Now I understand he wants to be president. But now I noticed he lost a little weight, so maybe he has a chance."
When Mayor Johnson was repeatedly asked by a reporter to respond to the usual Trump foolishness, the Chicago Democratic leader refused to dignify Trump’s bluster several times.
But the reporter repeated:
"What do you say to Donald Trump? How did you feel when Donald Trump called you 'incompetent'? Please answer that question if you will."
Finally, Johnson pointed out the reporter's constant begging had moved him to respond.
He told the reporter at a press briefing on Tuesday:
"OK. Fine. Since you are begging."
"So, I will just say it like this, that the President has always been intimidated by the intellectual prowess of Black men."
"And so, of course, he would speak in those petite and puerile terms, because he's small."
@tndtok During a press conference on Tuesday, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson responded to President Donald Trump calling him an ‘incompetent Mayor’ saying the President is ‘intimidated’ and ‘small.’ Link in bio for more.
An educator, Johnson is well acquainted with dealing with immature children, or 79-year-old men who act like spoiled children.
People loved Johnson's accurate takedown of Trump.
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According to FBI statistics, violent crime in Chicago is down.
Murders in Chicago are down 31% during the first seven months of 2025, as compared with the same period in 2024. Shootings are down 37%, according to Chicago Police Department data.
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