On Sunday, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson made it clear where he stands if President Donald Trump were to send federal forces into his city. Speaking on MSNBC’s “The Weekend,” Johnson said Chicagoans would resist what he called “tyranny.”
The conversation began when co-host Jonathan Capehart cited a report suggesting that deploying thousands of active-duty troops to Chicago had been discussed, though considered less likely. Capehart noted, “We saw him do that with active duty Marines on the streets of Los Angeles. What would the reaction be in Chicago if the President of the United States does indeed put active duty military on the streets of Chicago?”
Johnson pushed back firmly. “Well, again, you know, the city of Chicago does not need a military occupied state that that is that’s not who we are. I commend the work of Mayor Bass, my colleague, and and, you know, all the folks in Los Angeles who stood up and fought, you know, against this, you know, authoritarianism. Here’s the bottom line. they don’t have police power. There’s nothing they can do. you know, these are federal troops, they do not go through the training that our police officers go through. So they cannot even enact police authority.”
The mayor went on to criticize the Trump administration’s approach. “The president has spent hundreds of millions of dollars to what, arrest nine people in D.C.? You know that that is that clearly he’s demonstrated that he doesn’t have a level of consciousness to understand what it takes to run cities, not to mention an entire country. So, you know, look, we’re going to remain firm. We’ll take legal action. But the people of this city are accustomed to rising up against tyranny. And if that’s necessary, I believe that the people of Chicago will stand firm alongside of me as I work every single day to protect the people of this city.”
Johnson’s remarks highlight a broader clash between local leadership in deep-blue cities and a federal government attempting to enforce national security priorities. For years, Chicago has struggled with persistent crime and violence, yet city leaders continue to resist stronger federal involvement. The mayor’s dismissal of federal authority underscores a common theme in progressive strongholds: an insistence on home rule, even when the results leave neighborhoods unsafe and taxpayers footing the bill for policies that fail to restore order.
When Johnson says the city does not need a “military occupied state,” he reflects a worldview that often treats federal security measures as “authoritarian” while excusing policies that have left residents vulnerable. For many conservatives, the situation illustrates how entrenched bureaucratic leadership resists outside accountability—even when lives are at stake.
By portraying the deployment of federal resources as “tyranny,” Johnson frames the issue in emotional terms. Yet, to millions of Americans, ensuring peace and security is not tyranny but common-sense governance. The role of the federal government, after all, includes securing the nation’s borders and protecting its citizens from threats foreign and domestic. When local officials reject that cooperation, the burden shifts back to ordinary families who continue to live with the consequences of unchecked violence.
Johnson’s comments make one thing clear: the conflict between progressive urban leadership and federal authority will remain a defining issue. As Chicago grapples with crime and disorder, the question is whether political leaders will continue to resist common-sense solutions in favor of rhetoric—or allow proven measures to restore law, order, and safety for the people they claim to protect.
This Mayer Johnson of Chicago is just standing up for notoriety. People are dying every freaking day in the city. People can’t walk the streets in his city. People are getting drugged out of their minds in his city. He needs to be retired and removed from political positions anywhere, and everywhere in the country.