WASHINGTON — Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem excoriated Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson as “delusional” and faulted him for letting the Windy City devolve into a “war zone” after President Trump activated the Illinois National Guard.
Johnson (D) had accused the Trump administration of mounting an unconstitutional crackdown on Chicago and dismissed Noem’s concerns that federal officers are being targeted during an interview on MSNBC.
“Let’s remember that Mayor has a less than 6% approval rating in Chicago,” she shot back on “Fox & Friends Weekend.”
“Overwhelmingly, that man is a failure. He’s a failure for his people and hasn’t stood up for the victims of the crimes that have happened in his city. So we’re going to keep doing our work every day.”
Virtually every poll shows Johnson underwater in Chicago, with results typically ranging from 6% to 26%, depending on the survey.
Noem visited federal law enforcement on the ground in Chicago ahead of President Trump’s move to federalize some 300 National Guard troops to bolster the federal agents on the ground there.
The deployment of Illinois troops — over the objection of Gov. JB Priztker (D) — follows an attack on Border Patrol agents on Chicago’s South Side on Saturday in which the feds opened fire and wounded a woman — who was later found to be armed.
Noem said that locals in Chicago were applauding the federal officer protecting them and blamed the recent slate of attacks on the feds on Johnson’s rhetoric.
“Absolutely, he’s giving them air cover,” she said when asked if there’s a link between Johnson’s rhetoric and attacks or threats against officers. “There should be consequences for that and for leaders that stand up and knowingly lie about the situation on the ground.
“This is a war zone. His city is a war zone, and he’s lying so that criminals can go in there and destroy people’s lives. Those individuals that live there are waking up to it.”
Johnson, who was elected mayor of Chicago in 2023 and has clashed with Pritzker repeatedly, had raged against the Trump administration’s crackdown on his city.
“First of all, she has no idea what she’s talking about,” Johnson told MSNBC late last week. “The Trump administration they are completely delusional right now, and what they are promulgating in this particular moment are not just unconstitutional measures.
“They’re dangerous and reckless. It’s antithetical to who we are as a nation,” he added. “This president has worked hard to relitigate the Civil War, and we’re not going to stand for it!”
For months, the Trump administration has been engaged in heavy immigration enforcement operations in Chicago, which has drawn pushback from Johnson and other prominent local Dems.
Noem alleged that Chicago has been blocking federal law enforcement, including Border Patrol and US Customs and Immigration Enforcement (ICE) officers, from using public restrooms in the city.
The Post contacted Johnson’s team for comment.
