WASHINGTON PARK (WBBM Newsradio) -- Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is dismissing President Trump's latest social media posts aimed at violence in the city, following a fatal mass shooting in a South side park over the weekend.
The President's social media accounts posted at 3:45 a.m. Tuesday that violence in Chicago has "never been worse." The post then ran down a tally of casualties from last weekend's shootings, including Saturday night's fatal mass shooting in Washington Park, and went on to predict that Chicago would "die" without federal law enforcement intervention.
"It's difficult to take anything he says seriously," Mayor Johnson told reporters during a briefing Tuesday morning on the city's response to the violence in Washington Park. "I find him to be a sorry individual."
The mayor went on to talk about figures showing violent crime in the city is continuing to decrease, contrary to the President's social media claim, and detailed cuts in federal spending that he said directly affected the safety of people in the city and across the country.
"He removed over $800 million from gun violence reduction programs," Mayor Johnson said. "He cut the ATF budget by 30%."
The mayor told reporters that the President has an open invitation to invest in the people of Chicago: "If he was serious about driving violence down, not just in Chicago but across the country, he would not be engaged in endless illegal wars."
President calls violence "unchecked" after Saturday's park shooting
President calls violence "unchecked" after Saturday's park shooting
