CHICAGO CITY HALL (WBBM Newsradio) -- Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said his administration's approach to violence is still working, despite a recent uptick in homicides and shootings, and insisted President Trump's latest offer to help on social media isn't the answer.
The mayor's comments during an appearance Tuesday with reporters at City Hall are his first since the June 19 shooting near 95th and Wentworth in Princeton Park that police say injured 14 people.
"What should have been a time of celebration, reflection and community during Juneteenth was disrupted by heartbreaking acts of gun violence," the mayor said. "Gun violence has afflicted communities across Chicago for far too long."
The shooting also inspired a new round of social media posts from President Trump, who told followers on his Truth Social platform that he could make Chicago a safer city in a month, if only Gov. J.B. Pritzker would ask for help.
"Of course, there's more work to be done," the mayor said. "That work isn't going to be accomplished through social media."
He also bashed the President's cuts in funding for ATF enforcement and grants to violence-prevention programs: "It is incredibly disappointing and disheartening that the President of the United States of America has actively defunded programs that can keep people safe."
The latest numbers from the Chicago Police Department show homicides in the city through the end of May were up 6% compared with 2025, and shootings are also up, though other categories of crime are down. While reiterating that "one act of violence is one too many," the mayor pushed back on any framing of violence being up across the city.
"There are some very specific hyper-concentrated communities where that is taking place," he said, "and trust and believe, I'm laser focused in those particular areas."
Bashes Trump's social media posts; addresses crime numbers
Bashes Trump's social media posts; addresses crime numbers
