Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel (D) is proposing a new motto for the city that takes aim at President Trump.
Emanuel, who served as chief of staff under former President Barack Obama, told Stephen Colbert that he has declared Chicago a “Trump-free zone” and joked that its new motto is “A city he’ll never sleep in.”
“We don’t want him,” Emanuel said on “The Late Show” Wednesday night.
{mosads}Emanuel told Colbert that multiple Chicago initiatives, such as public scholarships available to recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) immigration program and environmental regulations, do not line up with the Trump administration. Trump in September ordered an end to the Obama-era DACA program, which protects young immigrants brought to the country illegally from deportation. He also announced that the U.S. will pull out of the Paris climate accord.
“Donald Trump is driving forward looking through the rearview mirror, and I’m not going that way,” Emanuel said. “I think what he’s doing is wrong for the direction of the city.”
He spoke specifically about Chicago’s “sanctuary city” status, saying that he considers Chicago a “welcoming” city.
Emmanuel also pointed to his efforts to improve relations between community members and law enforcement officials.
“The Justice Department, specifically under Donald Trump, is driving a wedge and a difference between communities and the police departments,” he said. “When we’re trying to build that trust.”