Lightfoot On Trump's Letter: 'You Utterly Failed To Lead In This Crisis'
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot fired back on President Donald Trump, after he sent a letter on Friday criticizing her leadership and that of Governor JB Pritzker.
Trump picked a fight over violence in Chicago with Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot Friday night.
President Trump sent a lengthy letter to the two leaders. He singles them out for their "lack of leadership" and how they "fail the people you have sworn to protect." The president went on to offer to help and ends saying, "You continue to put your own political interests ahead of the lives, safety and fortunes of your own citizens."
Lightfoot had pointed responses to Trump on everything from healthcare, his handling of the COVID-19 crisis, voting rights, immigration, crime and the LGBT community.
"Stop trying to kill off the Affordable Care Act. Millions of people across our country remain unable to access affordable, high quality health care. Obamacare makes a difference. It is a lifeline. Please, Mr. President, stop trying to sever it."
She added that federal intervention could help the problem people are having across the country when trying to vote in the primaries, but polling places are being closed.
"Today, support the reinstatement of the Voting Rights Act and stop supporting efforts to cut access to the ballot. The images that we've seen across the country, and recently on places that shut down voting and polling places. There's one place in a single county that literally thousands of people have to gather and waiting online in the midst of this pandemic, and then have judges have to order those polling places to remain open. Mr. President, you could help solve that problem."
The mayor also took aim at the president and his stance on immigration reform and his comments regarding the U.S. Supreme Court's decision on DACA.
"Stop doing injury and harm to our immigrant and refugee communities. Every individual every child adds value. All their lives. Also, try treating them with humanity and compassion and show some respect."
Lightfoot also addressed the Trump administration's stance on LGBTQ issues, when it recently removed federal protections against health care discrimination for transgender patients.
"Stop demonizing members of the LGBTQ community, of which I am a proud member, and particularly our brothers and sisters in the trans community," Lightfoot said. "You seem to have a particular obsession with. Our rights also matter. We need support in our community."
In terms of the COVID-19 crisis, which up to this point, has infected more than 2.5 million people and killed more than 120,000 across the country, Lightfoot said "you utterly failed to lead in this crisis."
The mayor also dismissed his comments against Lightfoot and other Democratic mayors.
"What's abundantly clear over this last month in particular, there's some obvious dots to connect, as part of his regular rotation of criticisms. He has started attacking and trying to undermine every big city Democratic mayor, especially the women. It's me. It's Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms of Atlanta, Mayor Muriel Bowser of Washington DC and Mayor Jenny Durkan on Seattle. But I got a message for them and for him. The common theme in these misogynistic and racist rants. The thing you need to remember Mr. President, we are all tough, women. We're not going to take anything from anybody, even if his name begins with Mr. President."
Pritzker's team issued a statement that calls the president a "failure," the letter a "press stunt," and says that the president "attempts to politicize tragedy with his predicable and worn out strategy to distract, distract, distract."