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Sky News AU
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Sky News AU
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson on the verge of tears during ‘mental breakdown' about Trump
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has been roasted over his recent 'mental breakdown' about US President Donald Trump. Johnson's remarks came following an investigation that was launched into whether the mayor violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which bars employment based on race and follows comments by Johnson on Sunday. During the mayor's appearance at the Apostolic Church of God in Woodlawn, he emphasised the hiring of Black leaders in his administration. Johnson's comments led the Justice Department to believe it had 'reasonable cause' to believe a pattern of hiring based on race was occurring. On Tuesday, Johnson reacted to the probe as a 'divisive tactic' before describing President Trump as a 'monster' on Wednesday. 'As far as, you know, the president's animus towards women, people of colour, working people, we have always known who he has been. This is not a surprise. He's a monster,' Johnson said.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Chicago mayor: Trump a ‘monster'
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D) slammed President Trump and his administration on Wednesday after officials said they would launch a probe into the city's hiring practices. The Department of Justice (DOJ) sent a letter to Johnson inquiring about racial bias in the Windy City's hiring practices following the mayor's Sunday comments at a local church in Woodlawn, Ill. 'As far as, you know, the president's animus towards women, people of color, working people, we have always known who he has been,' Johnson said during a Wednesday press conference. 'This is not a surprise. He's a monster.' 'We have the most diverse administration in the history of Chicago, and he is threatened by that,' he added. Earlier in the week, while speaking at the Apostolic Church of God, Johnson, who is also Black, said he hired more Black people in his administration because they're the 'most generous people on Earth.' Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon responded to the comments in a letter sent to the mayor on Monday. 'If these kind of hiring decisions are being made for top-level positions in your administration, then it begs the question whether such decisions are also being made for lower-level positions,' Dhillon wrote. The pressure comes as Trump has sought to crack down on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives across the U.S. Johnson argued the investigation was launched out of fear. 'You can tell when someone is fearful is because they act out,' Johnson said Wednesday. 'We have a president that is screaming and having tantrums right now because we have an administration that reflects the city of Chicago, but he would much rather have administrations that reflect the country club. Period.' 'He is most comfortable around people who think and look like him,' the mayor added. Following the DOJ announcement, Johnson's office released a demographic breakdown of his office. His staff members are 34.3 percent Black, 30.5 percent white, 23.8 percent Hispanic and 6.7 percent Asian, as reported by local outlet ABC7. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
22-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Chicago mayor: Trump a ‘monster'
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D) slammed the President Trump and his administration on Wednesday after officials said they would launch a probe into the city's hiring practices. The Department of Justice (DOJ) sent a letter to Johnson inquiring about racial bias in the Windy City's hiring practices following the mayor's Sunday comments at a local church in Woodlawn, Ill. 'As far as, you know, the president's animus towards women, people of color, working people, we have always known who he has been,' Johnson said during a Wednesday press conference. 'This is not a surprise. He's a monster.' 'We have the most diverse administration in the history of Chicago, and he is threatened by that,' he added. Earlier in the week, while speaking at the Apostolic Church of God, Johnson — who is also Black — said he'd hired more Black people in his administration because they're the 'most generous people on Earth.' Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon responded to the comments in a letter sent to the mayor on Monday. 'If these kind of hiring decisions are being made for top-level positions in your administration, then it begs the question whether such decisions are also being made for lower-level positions,' Dhillon wrote. The pressure comes as Trump has sought to crackdown on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives across the U.S. Johnson argued the investigation was launched out of fear. 'You can tell when someone is fearful is because they act out,' Johnson said Wednesday. 'We have a president that is screaming and having tantrums right now because we have an administration that reflects the city of Chicago, but he would much rather have administrations that reflect the country club. Period.' 'He is most comfortable around people who think and look like him,' the mayor added. Following the DOJ announcement, Johnson's office released a demographic breakdown of his office. Staff members are 34.3 percent Black, 30.5 percent white, 23.8 percent Hispanic and 6.7 percent Asian as reported by local outlet ABC7.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Johnson calls Trump 'a monster' while defending diverse hiring amid DOJ probe
The Brief The Department of Justice is investigating possible race-based hiring in Chicago. Mayor Johnson strongly defended his administration and criticized President Trump. City officials say they haven't received a formal notice of investigation yet. CHICAGO - The federal government is investigating Chicago's hiring practices, and Mayor Brandon Johnson isn't holding back in his response — taking aim at President Donald Trump while defending his administration's diversity efforts. What we know The Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division notified the city this week that it is investigating whether Chicago violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which bars employment discrimination based on race. The probe follows remarks Johnson made during a Sunday appearance at the Apostolic Church of God in Woodlawn, where he emphasized the number of Black leaders he has appointed to senior roles in his administration. In his comments, the mayor listed key officials, pointing out their race and titles, including deputy mayors, the budget director, and the city's chief operations officer. He said he was "laying out" these positions to "ensure that our people get a chance to grow their business," according to the DOJ. The Justice Department said it has "reasonable cause" to believe a pattern of race-based hiring may be occurring. The investigation will focus on whether similar decisions are being made across city departments. What they're saying On Tuesday, Johnson dismissed the probe as a "divisive tactic" and continued his pushback on Wednesday, describing Trump as "a monster" and accusing his administration of being threatened by diversity. "As far as, you know, the president's animus towards women, people of color, working people, we have always known who he has been. This is not a surprise. He's a monster," Johnson said. "We have the most diverse administration in the history of Chicago, and he is threatened by that. You can tell when someone is fearful is because they act out. We have a president that is screaming and having tantrums right now because we have an administration that reflects the city of Chicago, but he would much rather have administrations that reflect the country club. Period. He is most comfortable around people who think and look like him." The mayor highlighted racial and gender diversity across his leadership team, saying 64% of his administration are women, 34% are Black, 30% white, 25% Latin American, and about 7% Asian. "The people of this city elected me to respond to decades-old systems of failure. And I made a commitment to bring everybody together to do just that. So that's why we're investing in our public education system. That impacts all of us. That's why I'm investing in the critical services like mental and (behavioral) health support, where our CARE program is now citywide. That impacts all of us," Johnson said. "When crime goes down in the city, when Austin is safer, Streeterville is safer. That's the approach that we're taking. So in terms of being surprised by the ugliness of this (Trump) administration, we're not surprised." Johnson defended his team and argued the city's diversity reflects the "American story." "We're gonna show up for working people in this city because that's what I was elected to do. Black, brown, white, Asian. We're talking about years of immigrants coming to this city to find refuge. Descendants of slaves coming to the city to find refuge. That's really the American story. And so it's unfortunate that this administration is rejecting and showing so much disdain towards the American story. The dream that has brought all of us to this state right now," he said. Meanwhile, Chicago's Corporation Counsel Mary Richardson-Lowry said Wednesday the city has not yet received an official notice of investigation from the DOJ. City leaders first saw the letter when it was posted on social media, she said. What's next The DOJ says they've requested a meeting with the mayor's office to begin its review. City officials say they will formally respond once they receive official notice and review the request. Click to open this PDF in a new window. Having trouble reading the DOJ's letter? Click HERE. The Source The information in this article was obtained from the U.S. Department of Justice, public statements from Mayor Brandon Johnson and Mary Richardson-Lowry, and previous FOX 32 reporting.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Editorial: Speak incautiously about race, Mr. Mayor, and you invite federal scrutiny
On Sunday, Mayor Brandon Johnson visited one of Chicago's megachurches, the Apostolic Church of God in Woodlawn. The mayor sat down in front of the large South Side congregation for a discussion with the church's pastor, Dr. Byron Brazier. Speaking about economic development, Johnson talked of the resources and investments his administration has made in Black communities and businesses. He got to speaking about how Bowa Construction, a Black-owned company, had been awarded a contract to be the lead vendor on a cargo expansion project at O'Hare Airport. It was the first time in U.S. aviation history that a Black-owned contractor had won the lead on a major airport cargo expansion project, the mayor said. All well and good. And to be celebrated for sure. But then things got problematic. Very problematic. In the context of the Bowa contract, Johnson said, 'One thing I know for sure I have to do over these next two years: every single dime that our people have been robbed of, I'm going to make sure that is returned two-, three-fold.' Whether he meant it this way or not, the clear implication was that the Johnson administration would attempt to award as much business as possible to Black-owned firms over the rest of his term. Johnson surely knows that there are strict rules when it comes to city contracting. All but the smallest jobs must be competitively bid. The rules can get complex and there long have been worthy programs to help minority- and women-owned firms win city business. But the rules exist to ensure taxpayers get the best work possible at the lowest possible price and that bidders believe the process is fair and nondiscriminatory. So while activists are free to opine on whether minority contractors ought to be favored because of the city's past discriminatory patronage practices, a mayor simply shouldn't do so. If he does, he invites reactions from those empowered to investigate, such as the U.S. Department of Justice. In the same sit-down at the church, Johnson celebrated the many Black people who hold senior roles in his administration, listing their names one by one. That prompted Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon to fire off a letter to Johnson just a day after his Sunday appearance saying she'd authorized an investigation into whether his administration is violating federal civil rights law in its hiring practices. Johnson didn't help his cause when he prefaced that part of his discussion by saying, 'Our people hire our people,' not far removed from the infamous 'We don't want nobody nobody sent' phrase, tied to the Richard J. Daley machine. Dhillon mused in the letter about whether Johnson's administration was showing a pattern of favoring Black candidates in employment decisions. Vendors are a particular concern to us because of how much they impact taxpayers. Statements about 'making sure' favored firms get their piece of the pie — and then some ('two-, three-fold') — should impel more scrutiny of the administration's contracting practices. The notorious 'Shakman decree,' a federal court order imposed on the city decades ago and barring patronage hiring practices prevalent in the days of the first Mayor Daley, was lifted in 2014 — during the mayoralty of Rahm Emanuel, ironically a frequent verbal punching bag for the current mayor. It shouldn't be a tall order for this mayor — or future mayors — to avoid the kind of rhetoric inviting a redux of such legal oversight. Even if the administration hasn't put its thumb on the contracting scales in the way Johnson suggested Sunday, such reckless rhetoric could well discourage qualified companies from bothering to bid on future projects, to the disadvantage of taxpayers. Perception easily can become reality. Then there's the corrosive message the rest of the city is hearing in these remarks. As 15th Ward Ald. Ray Lopez, a frequent Johnson critic, noted, the reaction to Johnson's messaging 'validates the concerns many people have throughout the city of Chicago that this isn't a mayor for everyone.' Indeed. There are ways for Brandon Johnson to communicate his record to voters without exacerbating the ethnic divisions that long have stymied progress in this city. No, Chicago's record of racial discrimination is not confined strictly to the past. And too many neighborhoods held back by racist policies and practices by past powers-that-be still are feeling the effects. Plenty of folks of all races, creeds and colors realize that, and many have spent years trying to repair the damage. But our mayor is supposed to be the mayor of the city of Chicago, not just some of its neighborhoods. Johnson sounds like he doesn't mind if he's perceived as caring about only some Chicagoans and not all. Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@
