Overview

• Pressed repeatedly by MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough, Mayor Brandon Johnson would not give a direct answer on accepting federal funding to add 5,000 officers in Chicago.
• Johnson argued that public safety requires a full package that pairs policing with affordable housing, mental and behavioral health care, youth employment and strengthened detective work.
• He condemned President Trump’s floated plan to deploy troops or the National Guard to Chicago, calling such a move unconstitutional and a “military occupation.”
• Pointing to recent trends, coverage cited Chicago’s violent crime down 22% in the first half of 2025 and 262 homicides as of Aug. 26, fewer than at the same point in 2024.
• Johnson noted Chicago had thousands more officers and about 900 murders annually in the 1990s to argue that officer counts alone do not drive safety, and no agreement on federal policing or deployments was announced.