PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A second term for Donald Trump is likely to have a big impact on Philadelphia, but Mayor Cherelle Parker sought to reassure Philadelphians Thursday that she’ll find a way to carry out her agenda.
After four years of federal largesse and non-interference on local immigration policy, Parker said she understood residents’ concerns about a second Trump administration.
“A lot of people are coming to grips across this city with this new reality,” she said, “and they have been wondering and calling me and asking me, ‘What does this mean for Philadelphia?’”
Speaking to reporters outside City Hall, Parker did not have an immediate answer but she pledged that she would continue to deliver services and focus on the goals of reducing crime, building new affordable housing, cleaning up neighborhoods, expanding education and creating more economic opportunity.
“None of these issues are partisan issues. These are real issues impacting the lives of everyday Philadelphians.”
The mayor said she watched Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden address the country about the election results and felt as if they were speaking directly to her, as they pledged to carry on with their work.
“We have to do everything we possibly can to put all Philadelphians on a path to self-sufficiency,” said Parker.
She did not speculate about replacing the federal money that has poured into the city under Biden — nearly a billion dollars this year alone — nor did she commit to remaining a sanctuary city if the president-elect again targets them. That was a source of conflict between the first Trump administration and then-Mayor Jim Kenney and Trump has said he’ll ask Congress to ban sanctuary cities in his second term. Asked whether she would maintain the city’s sanctuary status, Parker did not give a direct answer.
“We are focused on making good on our commitment to make Philadelphia the cleanest, greenest big city in the nation,” she said, “and nothing gets in the way of that.”
The mayor also declined to speculate on what went wrong for the Harris-Walz ticket in Philadelphia and where it underperformed in terms of turnout and margin of victory, compared to the last several Democratic presidential candidates.