Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson Slammed by White House Over Reparations Demand

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson claimed that Trump overlooks the extremely wealthy while ignoring the descendants of former slaves, and he criticized the White House.

Brandon Johnson says Trump has made the "biggest wealth transfer" at the expense of children.

The White House called Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson's reparations divisive and illegal and urged him to focus on reducing the homicide rate.

The White House attacked Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson on Wednesday after the progressive mayor claimed that President Donald Trump is ignoring reparations for the descendants of formerly enslaved black Americans while favoring the wealthy.

Johnson appeared on the "Native Land Pod" podcast Sunday to talk about his administration's efforts to reduce crime in Chicago, where violent crime has fallen sharply, according to data from the Johnson administration and the Chicago Police Department.

Speaking to hosts Angela Ray, Bacary Sellers and Andrew Gillum, Johnson argued that public safety "has to be about more than policing," emphasizing the city's investment in "psycho-behavioral care, promoting detectives, and expanding and investing in CVI (Community Violence Intervention).

Reparations activists are calling out the blue states for using their history of slavery to fund broader programs

The podcast hosts turned to a recent Truth Social post by Trump targeting Illinois leadership for the crime.

"Chicago is suffering from an unprecedented and particularly violent crime wave that is only getting worse by the day," Trump wrote in an Oct. 6 post. "The federal government could shut it down quickly and completely, but the mayor of Chicago or the governor of Illinois would have to ask us for help. What happened to them? Why don't they ask? Time is important! President DJT."

Johnson pushed back against the president's remarks, claiming that Trump has enriched wealthy Americans while ignoring the demands of the "children of former slaves."

"He's very sorry. It's really pathetic, right, because it's so wrong," Johnson said. "This is the president who just unleashed the largest upward transfer of wealth into the hands of the super-rich at the expense of us, the descendants of former slaves.

"The biggest upward transfer of wealth is at the expense of education, housing, health, transportation, high-paying jobs, which were literally all the demands of former slaves," he added.

The Trump administration vowed to end compensation programs, accusing officials of "virtue signaling" to get "votes."

Johnson also said Trump "cut the violence prevention budget by $800 million" and blasted the president for worrying "about the wrong borders" as illegal weapons flow into Chicago.

He cut the ATF budget by 30%. My local police department has been working with the AFT to get illegal guns off the streets of Chicago. This year alone, we've taken nearly 9,000 illegal guns off the streets.

The White House dismissed Johnson's claims and urged the mayor to focus on local public safety.

Chicago blacks demand reparations from the government, monetary deposits like "trigger" checks

Chicago has seen a significant drop in violent crime since Johnson took office in May 2023, including double-digit declines in homicides, shootings, and overall violent crime, according to the mayor's office.

Johnson had previously signed an executive order creating a 40-person reparations task force to address "historical wrongs against Chicago's blacks and their ancestors."

In March, Johnson announced the public engagement initiative "Repair Chicago" aimed at gathering the lived experiences of black residents to inform future municipal policies and direct equity actions.

The push for compensation in the region comes as the federal government tightens regulatory oversight of local programs. Near Evanston, Illinois, launched a first-of-its-kind compensation program in 2021, offering eligible black residents or their direct descendants a $25,000 housing and home repair grant funded by local taxes on the sale of legal recreational marijuana.

To date, Evanston has distributed more than $7 million of the $20 million in funding allocated. Earlier this year, the city's compensation committee cleared a wave of additional funding for 44 residents.

Chicago reparations advocates say federal government morally owes "7-quarters of a billion dollars" in slave labor

Federal intervention is expanding elsewhere. In September of last year, the Department of Justice warned officials in Buncombe County, North Carolina, that it would investigate possible civil rights violations if local leaders confirmed. Recommendations of the Asheville-Buncombe Community Compensation Commission

Responding to Johnson's comments on the podcast, White House spokeswoman Alison Schuster stressed that the administration remains committed to eliminating racially motivated programs.

Joshua focuses on cultural trends, education and public policy. He has extensively covered compensation developments throughout the United States, Department of Education and immigration issues.

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