President Donald Trump is making his first visit to Chicago as the nation’s chief executive. He spoke at the annual gathering of the International Association of Chiefs of Police at McCormick Place, wherehe slammed Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnsonin front of his peers and criticized the type of federal order the city is under to reform the CPD.
The president will now attend a closed-door, big-dollar fundraising luncheon at his namesake hotel. Protesters are outside the Near North skyscraper, lining the Chicago River. Follow along live here.
12: 35 pm: Mayor Lori Lightfoot responds to Trump’s criticism
On Twitter, Mayor Lori Lightfoot responded to the president’s harsh remarks about the head of Chicago police and the city: “It’s no surprise that (Trump) brought his insulting, ignorant buffoonery to Chicago. Luckily, in this city, we know the truth and we will not let anyone – no matter how high the office – denigrate who we are as a people or our status as a welcoming city. ”
It’s no surprise that@ realDonaldTrumpbrought his insulting , ignorant buffoonery to Chicago. Luckily, in this city, we know the truth and we will not let anyone – no matter how high the office – denigrate who we are as a people or our status as a welcoming city.
– Mayor Lori Lightfoot (@chicagosmayor)October 28, 2019
She added her support for CPD Superintendent Eddie Johnson in a follow-up tweet: “President Trump knows as much about policing as he does running a fair and transparent government. I stand by the Superintendent for living up to the values of this great city and its residents. ”
The Chicago police plan a 1: 30 PM press conference where Johnson will respond to Trump’s criticism.– Gregory Pratt
Under this administration, DC is a place where facts don’t seem to matter but that’s not the case in Chicago. Superintendent Eddie Johnson will hold a 130 pm media availability @ to respond to claims made about the Chicago Police Departmentpic.twitter.com/tjETlhm6zl
– Anthony Guglielmi (@AJGuglielmi)October 28, 2019
12: 00 pm: Trump’s speech over, attention now turns to his hotel
Trump’s remarks ran 66 minutes, and ended with a vow: “We will keep our streets secure, our cities guarded and our loved ones safe. We will fight violent crime, uphold the peace, enforce the law and with God as our witness, we will proudly serve, protect and defend the citizens of the United States, ”Trump said.
“To all the terrific officers here today, thank you for your unwavering courage , your unbreakable devotion. Today and every day I vow to stand proudly, loyally and faithfully with the men and women in blue. ”
Much of Wacker Drive in front of Trump Tower remained empty close to noon as the president headed there for a fundraiser. Protesters were gathered in the center across from the building. Police have closed off traffic at Wacker Drive and Michigan Avenue.– Bill Ruthhart and Jessica Villagomez
A small group of Trump supporters are gathered on the opposite side of Wacker Dr. Among them is Joshua Carmona, 20, from Little Village. Carmona said he’s at the protests to support Pres Trump and inform people of “the good things he’s done,” he said.pic.twitter.com/rJoyIuYkvD
— Jessica Villagomez (@JessicaVillag)October 28, 2019
Carole Delahunty, 49, of Mount Prospect, said “I want Trump to see us and I want him to know that most of Americans are sick of him. … He thinks he’s a king. He thinks he’s above the law. ”pic.twitter.com/IuqJM7ZBZc
– Paige Fry (@paigexfry)October 28, 2019
Richard Aycock, 61, and Maryellen Reddy, 68, from Lombard, Illinois, show off their signs.
“We think our country is going downhill,” Reddy said.
“Time marches toward. Nothing goes backward, ”Aycock said.pic.twitter.com/NwjcfxZrus
– Paige Fry (@paigexfry) (October) , 2019
11: 40 am: Trump supporter caught up in controversy over Nazi-style salute plans to ‘protest the protesters’
By the time Trump arrived for his first visit to Chicago as president Monday morning, one of his biggest fans was there to support him.
Birgitt Peterson of Yorkville booked a two- night stay at Trump Tower in the city so she could be among his supporters during the president’s visit to Chicago.
“I am going to protest the protesters,” Peterson said.
“I told her, ‘Girlfriend, take your hands off. If you are hungry or want a cup of coffee I will pay for everybody but do not touch, ‘”she said.
She said she was trying to explain to a group of students that the Hitler salute was the most evil thing in history, she said.
“They were uneducated college students who didn’t know their world history,” she said. “How can you compare Trump with all that Hitler did?”
In 2016, Peterson said she gave the salute in response to protesters giving the salute to her. At least one protester told the Tribune he did not see anyone else giving the salute, and the Tribune photographer who took the picture of Peterson, Jason Wambsgans, said he had more than a dozen photos of Peterson giving the Nazi salute but did not see any protesters doing the gesture and had no photos showing that.
Peterson said she emigrated from West Berlin in 1969 and became a US citizen in 1982. In 2016, Peterson’s husband, Donald, told the Tribune the couple were not Nazis and did not support and did not salute Adolf Hitler.
Donald died after a battle with cancer June 4. The couple’s son, Dwayne Peterson, 50, planned to accompany his mother on her Chicago visit this week.
Birgitt Peterson drove to Chicago to support Trump in her 1992 Buick Roadmaster so she could “set the record straight” on the issues, she said.
She said she is annoyed by the protests against the president. “I like the man,” she said. “He is doing a good job. He’s finally telling the world what nobody else wants to say. ”
Peterson has a plan in case she meets the president. “I would say thank you Mr. President – four more years, ”she said.– Linda Girardi is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
11: 30 am: Trump rails against illegal immigration, sarcastically thanks Obama
Trump bashed an “onslaught of far -left activists ”who want to eliminate our borders and laws and touting his effort to appoint scores of new conservative judges.
“I want to thank you, President Obama, for giving me 142 open judges, ”Trump said. “How you allowed that to happen is beyond me. Thank you, President Obama. ”
The president spoke of removing criminal immigrants, describing his policy as “get them the hell out of our country.” Trump bashed Chicago and other major cities for embracing sanctuary city status that prohibits law enforcement from asking someone’s immigration status during routine stops.
Trump also praised Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, calling them “heroes, patriots, they’re tough, they’re strong . These are warriors, and they love our country. ”– Bill Ruthhart
11: 29 am: Chicago is more violent than Afghanistan? And does it have the strictest gun laws in the country?
While complaining about being snubbed by Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnson, Trump called the city more dangerous than Afghanistan.
But violent crime has been steadily falling since shootings spiked in 2016. So far this year, homicides and shootings have dropped by 11% from this time a year ago, according to statistics maintained by the Chicago Police Department.
As of the weekend, at least 2, 313 people had been shot and 436 of them died, according to data kept by the Tribune. The number of people shot has dramatically dropped – by 26. 4% – since 2016.
During the past two years, the city has experienced double-digit declines in violent crime since 2016, when 760 people were killed and 4, 300 others were wounded.
Trump also claimed once again that Illinois has some of the toughest gun laws. “That doesn’t seem to be working so well does it,” he told the crowd at McCormick Place.
Decades ago Chicago did have one of the toughest bans on firearms, but those laws changed after 2010. New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco have stricter gun laws on the books than Chicago, according to experts.Read more here.– Elvia Malagon
11: 25 am: ‘My cousin’s home got raided by ICE in California.’
Angela Hernandez, 18, is a senior at Lincoln Park High School and came to protest Trump’s visit to Chicago Monday morning.
“I’ve seen a lot of Trump’s impact, ”she said. “I’m Hispanic and my family has been impacted by his administration. My cousin’s home got raided by ICE in California. “
Hernandez was joined by her friend Rachel Taylor, 17. Both girls are seniors at Lincoln Park High School and said they’ve spent the last several days of the teachers strike filling out college applications and trying to study for upcoming AP tests .
“A lot of people are getting hurt by what’s he saying,” Taylor said of Trump. “If I don’t have school and I have a chance to be here, I want to be here. I want to support the cause. ”– Jessica Villagomez
11: 23 am: Trump takes dig at federal consent decrees for police reform, which Chicago has
Trump also discussed how his administration had “curtailed the harmful and intrusive use of federal consent decrees” forcing reforms to local policing.
“No longer will federal bureaucrats micromanage your police departments,” Trump said to the applause of officers.
Chicago has such a federal consent decree in place, after former Mayor Rahm Emanuel and onetime Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan agreed to federal court oversight of police reforms in Chicago. That came after former President Barack Obama’s Justice Department found a pattern of misconduct and excessive force within the Chicago Police Department.
President Trump noted the creation of a new “commission on law enforcement and the administration of justice.”
He’ll sign an executive order to have the commission make “concrete recommendations” to train and assist police officers and handling individuals with mental health issues, Trump said.
The president received loud cheers and whistles as he talked about working to reduce illegal crossings at the nation’s southern border and his efforts to build new walls along the US border with Mexico.
“I made one mistake,” Trump joked. “I should have said, ‘I do not want the wall, and they would have insisted we build it.’– Bill Ruthhart
11: 10 am: Trump weighs in on ‘scam’ Jussie Smollet case, comparing it to impeachment inquiry
Trump addressed the Jussie Smollet “scam,” comparing the actor’s false claims that he was attacked by Trump supporters to the “scam” of Congressional Democrats’ efforts to impeach him.
The president continued to criticize Superintendent Eddie Johnson for not pursuing the arrest of immigrants living here illegally as well as “stupid politicians” that support such po
Trump also turned to a three-year-old story of visiting Chicago and being accompanied by a motorcycle brigade of hundreds of riders. He said the leader of the brigade told him the city had struggled with violence because of failed leadership from then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the top of the police department.
“How long do you think it would take to fix this killing problem in Chicago?” Trump said he asked the man. “One day, sir,” the man responded, implying that the cops knew what to do, but the political leaders were getting in the way.
Trump has told the story several times, before but never identified the man other than to say he’s a cop. The president mused that the man now probably has a “very good job” outside of a police department to laughs.
“I want Eddie Johnson to change his values and change them fast,” Trump declared.– Bill Ruthhart
President Donald J. Trump speaks at the International Association of Chiefs of Police Annual Conference at McCormick Place on Oct. 28, 2019. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
10: 51 am: Trump slams Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnson in speech to other cops
The president quickly launched into an attack against Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson.
“There is one person who is not here today. We’re in Chicago. I said, ‘Where is he? I want to talk to him. ’More than anyone else, he should be here, because maybe he could learn something,” President Donald Trump said. “And that’s the Superintendent of Chicago police Eddie Johnson.”
He then noted how Johnson decided to boycott Tuesday’s event, citing the “values of the people of Chicago” being more important than anything Trump would have to say.
“I don’t think so, because that’s a very insulting statement after all I’ve done for the police. And I’ve done more than any president has ever done for the police, ”Trump boasted. “Here’s a man who could not bother to show up for a meeting of police chiefs in his hometown with the president of the United States. And you know why? He’s not doing his job. ”– Bill Ruthhart
10: 48 am: Trump touts killing of terror leader in Chicago speech
President Donald Trump arrived on stage at McCormick Place to applause as “Proud to be an American” boomed through the speakers in the large convention hall. Trump began his remarks to hundreds of members of the International Association of Chiefs of Policy by telling them that “the people of this country love you,” something they “don’t hear enough.”
“Every day of my presidency, I will be your greatest champion,” Trump told the crowd of a couple thousand police officials . “I have been and will continue to be.”
Trump quickly turned to the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi during a weekend raid by US special forces.
“It was a tremendous weekend for our country. We killed ISIS leader al-Baghdadi. He was a sick and depraved man, and now he’s dead, ”Trump said as the police leaders laughed. “He’s dead. He’s dead as a door nail. And he didn’t die bravely either. He should have been killed years ago. Another president should have gotten him. ”
He spoke for a bit about Syria and ISIS, saying, “but we’re gonna keep the oil.”– Bill Ruthhart
10: 30 am: Heavy security and calm around McCormick Place; protesters start to gather at Trump Tower
The area around McCormick Place, where Trump will speak this morning, was calm as people filtered into the convention center amid heavy security. A number of streets were blocked off around the convention center, and parking restrictions were placed on many streets in the area. Place at 10: 11 am for his speech by motorcade from Soldier Field, where Marine One landed after the short trip from O’Hare.
As Trump spoke at McCormick Place, a handful of protesters gathered around Indiana and Cermak, gearing up to rally later at Trump Tower.
Phil Novak-Gottshalo carried a sign that said, “Trump, your days are numbered.”
“He’s in Chicago, so we’re going to be here,” he said.
A small collection of protesters have begun to gather at the president’s hotel near the Chicago River. A large blue banner has been unfurled along Wacker Drive across the river from the building. It reads: “Trump & Pence #OutNow.”– Madeline Buckley and Paige Fry
McCormick Place is prepared for an appearance by President Donald J. Trump at the International Association of the Chiefs of Police Annual Conference on Oct. 28, 2019. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
9: 50 am Trump arrives in city, where he plans to address crime
The president of the United States landed at O’Hare International Airport at approximately 9: 29 am Monday. He de-planed and greeted supporters assembled on the tarmac, then boarded Marine One for the trip to Soldier Field, where his helicopter will land and he will travel to McCormick Place for a speech.
Trump was greeted by Chicago Fraternal Order of Police President Kevin Graham when he stepped off the plane.
Deputy White House press secretary Judd Deere says he expects the president to address the issue of crime in Chicago in his speech to police leaders here.– Bill Ruthhart and Charles J. Johnson
Police union President Kevin Graham greets President Donald Trump on his arrival to Chicago on Air Force One at O’Hare International Airport on Oct. 28, 2019. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
(9) 10 am: Trump plans executive order in Chicago
At the police chiefs convention, President Trump plans to sign an executive order creating a commission to study causes behind crime activity including any role mental health issues, drug abuse and homelessness may play in the violence, the White House said.
The commission established by the executive order will also be charged with finding ways to better recruit, train and retrain law enforcement officials across the country.– Rick Pearson
(9) 00 am: Police set up barricades around Trump’s Near North hotel
Chicago police are using barricades and plow trucks to set up a perimeter around Trump Tower, where the president will appear for a fundraiser around noon.– Jessica Villagomez and Madeline Buckley
8: 55 am: Striking Chicago Teachers Union clears afternoon schedule: ‘We have heard that President Donald Trump might be in town’
The Chicago Teachers Union has kept a busy schedule of rallies and pickets since the strike began 12 days ago but is halting afternoon activities during the Trump visit.
“After pickets Monday, the CTU has not planned any afternoon activity,” union leaders told members in an email overnight. “Feel free to rest or take part in any productive activity of your choosing. We have heard that President Donald Trump might be in town. If any members were inclined to show up outside his fundraiser in red, that would qualify as productive, in our view. ”
8: 30 am: 20, 000 protesters expected, Chicago cops say
The Chicago Police Department is expecting 20, 000 protesters trying to put a damper on President Trump’s first visit to the city as the nation’s chief executive. A noon demonstration is planned outside his hotel on the Chicago River, when the president will be present for a fundraising lunch and roundtable with supporters, according to his schedule.
Members of the union that represents workers at the EPA will join demonstrators in protesting the president. The Chicago Teachers Union remains on strike, and it’s possible their members, who have been protesting and picketing for more than a week, could join the demonstrations.– Bill Ruthhart and Charles J. Johnson
Inbox: Members of the union that represents workers (scientists, engineers, attorneys) in the nation’s largest EPA headquarters will join demonstrators in protest of President Donald Trump’s visit to Chicago.
– Bill Ruthhart (@BillRuthhart) (October) , 2019
8: 07 am: Trump departs White House for Chicago, where GOP says he raised $ 4 million
From pool reporter with the president:Per a Republican official, $ 4 million was raised for the Trump Victory committee at the president’s fundraising lunch in Chicago. Approximately 250 guests are expected.
Trump Victory is a joint fundraising committee benefiting the Trump campaign and RNC.
Trump’s motorcade arrived at the tarmac at Andrews Air Force Base at 7: 44 am. The president emerged from the limo and approached the press pool.
The president praised the cooperation that made the raid possible, and said he may release portions of video of the raid. He also said he is probably “ahead of schedule” on a Phase 1 deal with China.
From the early days of his candidacy in 2015 through his presidency, Donald Trump has used public platforms across the world to push his agenda while criticizing Chicago and its
Now he has the chance to do it in person.
Dogged by a House Democratic-led impeachment inquiry, Trump is scheduled to arrive Monday in a city beset with its own problems of gun violence, financial uncertainty and an ongoing teachers strike.
The trip presents the prospect of political theater mixing a brash, headstrong president anda city whose activism against government, including its own City Hall, recently has shown itself in almost daily protests a nd marches.
Chicago also symbolizes the nation’s great political divide between diverse urban, mostly Democratic areas opposed to Trump, and the rural areas where the president captures most of his populous support as he blasts the city-living “elites.”
“He goes right into the teeth of the enemy and gets in their face. That’s very much his style, ”David Yepsen, a veteran national political observer and the former head of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, said of Trump.
Trump is expected to attend a closed-door, big-dollar fundraising luncheon set for his namesake hotel, and also make his first public remarks as president in Chicago at the annual gathering of the International Association of Chiefs of Police at McCormick Place.
Trump is expected to further trumpet a foreign policy success amid questions about his Syrian policy with the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State, during a US military raid in Syria.
“He was a sick and depraved man, and now he’s gone, “Trump said in making the announcement Sunday at the White House.“ He died like a dog, he died like a coward. ”
The Chicago Police Department has canceled the regular days off of 1, 800 officers to add extra personnel around McCormick Place and Trump Tower on Monday. The officers will be paid overtime.
Police are bracing for upward of 20, 000 protesters based on social media, media reports and community feedback, department spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said.
“We are monitoring all of that in real time, ”he said.
Several hundred officers already had been assigned to the policing conference that Trump plans to address at McCormick Place, Guglielmi said. In addition, the department can redeploy officers from other units, such as the detective division or the organized crime unit, to areas of concern.
Though specialized units will be deployed, most officers assigned to the protests won’t be wearing any tactical gear.
Groups such as Indivisible, formed as an outgrowth of Trump’s 2016 presidential victory, are being joined by Rainbow / PUSH Coalition, Chicago Women Take Action and others for a scheduled noontime protest near Trump Tower.
“We’re inviting everyone to join the effort to help change the narrative and actions coming from President Trump and the White House that are endangering people’s lives, our democracy, and the survival of the planet,” said Jacky Grimshaw, formerly a top adviser to the late Mayor Harold Washington who now chairs Chicago Women Ta ke Action.
Trump regularly has worked to make the city a poster for his tough-on-crime stance.
At one of his 2016 presidential debates against Hillary Clinton, he asked if Chicago is “a war-torn country.” At a postelection visit to Youngstown, Ohio, he asked, “What the hell is going on in Chicago? ”In Pensacola, Florida, he told rallygoers,“ There are those who say that Afghanistan is safer than Chicago. ”And in Seoul, South Korea, he said,“ Chicago is a disaster, a total disaster. ”
Through mid-October, both homicides and shooting incidents have fallen by 11 percent in Chicago this year, according to official Police Department statistics. Those numbers continue the double-digit declines seen in both 2018 and 2017 after the disastrous 2016 results when more than 760 people were killed and in excess of 4, 300 were shot in Chicago.
Trump also has regularly used rallies to incorrectly say Chicago has “the strongest gun laws in our nation” in trying to appeal to a base that includes gun rights advocates.
The president also has criticized Chicago and its sanctuary city status as part of his hard-line stance against illegal immigration. Under Illinois law, police cannot detain someone for immigration authorities because of their citizenship status without a court-issued order.
“If you look at Chicago, they’re fighting it. If you look at other cities, they’re fighting it. Many of those cities are high crime cities and they’re sanctuary cities. People are tired of sanctuary cities and what it does and the crime it brings, ”he said in June after delaying a threatened nationwide sweep by immigration authorities.
Given Trump’s previous public appearances, including telling the visiting Stanley Cup champion St. George Louis Blues in the Oval Office of a successful stock market, a tough-on-trade attitude toward China and dismissing talk of impeachment, the president could turn his speech to the police chiefs into a lengthy list of attacks against the city.
“If he does one of his rants, he could drift into all kinds of stuff – race, immigration, ”said Yepsen, currently the host of“ Iowa Press ”on Iowa Public Television. “Chicago is a backdrop for his show to appeal to his base.”
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