- 5/22/2025
On Tuesday, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson took multiple questions about the DOJ probe into his city's hiring practices.
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00:00Mayor, good morning.
00:04I want to get your comments on the Department of Justice investigation that we learned about
00:09yesterday.
00:10You've had your back and forth with the President over the months, and I'm wondering if you
00:15could have forecasted this to be a focal point of his Department of Justice, and what your
00:20initial reaction was to the investigation.
00:23Well, I'm not surprised.
00:26I mean, this administration has obviously demonstrated a great deal of animus and disdain towards
00:36what is sensible about our country, and that's the diversity of our country.
00:40And I'm very proud of the fact that we have one of the most, if not the most diverse administration
00:46in the history of Chicago.
00:48You know, what's clear is that not only does the Trump administration not respect the rule
00:56of law or what's sensible about our society, you would be hard pressed to find qualified
01:04individuals who are in his administration.
01:07You know, as my administration reflects the country, reflects the city, his administration
01:14reflects the country club.
01:16And that is the biggest difference between what we're doing in Chicago and what is coming
01:22from the federal government.
01:24We're going to remain firm and steadfast in our commitment to ensure that the incredible,
01:30diverse talent that we have within our administration that continues to lead us towards the safest,
01:35most affordable big city in America.
01:37We're not going to shy away or apologize for who we are.
01:40Were you surprised?
01:41No.
01:42No.
01:43Look, it's clear that this administration does not respect the rule of law.
01:49It's also clear that, you know, this administration is more interested in creating, you know, division
02:00within our country while we are being inclusive.
02:03I'm proud of the fact that we have individuals that have legal backgrounds, operational backgrounds,
02:09education backgrounds.
02:10I mean, when I think about, again, just the diversity of my administration, we're working hard every day
02:19to make sure that the values of my administration reflect the uniqueness of the city of Chicago.
02:25And we're doing that.
02:26And that's what the people of this country, that's what they really want.
02:30This divisive tactic that this administration is just dead set on engaging in, I'm confident
02:37that the goodwill of people, everyday people who are approaching me about how we can create more opportunities
02:45for young people, right, approaching me about how we build more affordable homes.
02:50You know, again, April, the fewest amount of homicides since 1962, as violence continues to go down
02:56and our investments continue to go up.
02:58That's what everyday working people in this city are concerned with, and that's what I'm concerned with,
03:02and that's what I'm addressing.
03:04Final question.
03:05Does it feel retaliatory?
03:07And secondly, do you have any sense of how much this could cost the city of Chicago to sort of handle it,
03:13to defend it, to respond, man hours, et cetera?
03:17I mean, the cost if we don't defend our democracy could be quite severe.
03:21Here's what my approach has always been.
03:26It's about making sure that the city moves in the direction that benefits the wholeness of our city.
03:34Now, look, no one is going to argue, not here in Chicago, that we have lacked fairness and equity in this city.
03:42That's evident by the numbers tell us that.
03:48And it's not just with contracting and opportunities to do business with the city.
03:53It's the fact that, again, there was a report that was released that Urban League of Chicago
03:58Chicago was leading solutions around closing the economic gap between neighborhoods where, again,
04:06the average cumulative wealth of a black family in Chicago was zero dollars.
04:11I would imagine that no matter who you are, that you would recognize that that's a problem.
04:17And if we're talking about how we build safe communities, if Austin isn't safe, then Streeterville can't be safe, right?
04:27And so we have to make sure that we're not falling victim to the tyranny that's coming from the federal government.
04:35We're uniting people.
04:36All of the city of Chicago is surrounded by the love and the aspirations that are coming from my administration.
04:44Look, I take a great deal of pride and humility that I was elected just two years ago to respond to decades of disinvestment,
04:55that they trust a working class individual to bring people together.
05:00And so when we're investing in our public schools, that investment is for all of our neighborhoods across the city.
05:07When crime is going down, that affects all of us in this city.
05:11When we're building more affordable homes, that's affecting all of us in this city.
05:15And that's what this moment is about.
05:16And we're not going to be intimidated and struck by fear because we're showing up in our best form.
05:24And that's who we are as a city, a city of broad shoulders.
05:27We stand shoulder to shoulder.
05:29We stand elbow to elbow to make sure that we can build the safest, most affordable big city in America.
05:34Back to the DOJ investigation.
05:37You know, one thing people say about you is wherever you go, you sound like you're talking to your base.
05:42You all, which would basically be the black church, right?
05:45In this environment where Washington is scrutinizing Chicago, do you agree or regret that it always sounds like you're talking to black voters?
05:52And so sometimes your message gets lost in translation for a broader audience.
05:56Yeah.
05:57So I've talked about having the lowest amount of homicides in April.
06:02The lowest amount since 1962.
06:05That speaks to the entire city of Chicago.
06:09Robberies being down.
06:12That's all of Chicago.
06:14Building affordable homes.
06:16That's all of Chicago.
06:17You know, our mental and behavioral health support services for our care program, the expansion of mental and behavioral health.
06:28That's all of Chicago.
06:29When I talk about building affordable homes and building homes downtown, you can make an assumption that I'm only talking about one particular race as well.
06:38We know who concentrates in that particular part of the city.
06:42So, look, it sounds like to me that people tune in to what they want to tune in to.
06:49Because the fact of the matter is that I've shown up for this entire city.
06:53When we put a billion dollars in our public school system, we don't cherry pick.
06:58Now, that benefits all of our children.
07:02There's going to be class sizes that are going to be smaller in every section of the city.
07:07We're building affordable, green social housing.
07:10You know, some folks felt that it didn't concentrate enough in black Chicago.
07:15Right?
07:16You know, when we're talking about, you know, a bear stadium, that's the benefit with these economic opportunities for all of Chicago.
07:25You know, when Beyonce hits me up and she wants to come to Chicago, she's going to perform for everybody.
07:32So, you know, this notion that somehow what it sounds like, let's just look at the facts.
07:38We have the most diverse administration in the history of this city.
07:42We've invested so much in environmental justice.
07:45Everybody cares about that.
07:47You know, and so I'll just end with this.
07:56Why wouldn't I speak to black Chicago?
08:00Why wouldn't I?
08:02Black Chicago and black people in America have borne the brunt of the type of policies and the maneuvering and the humiliating tactics that are coming from the federal government right now.
08:16It's not a secret.
08:18Who is going to be mad at the fact that we have to prioritize spaces in the city that have been harmed the most?
08:25Everybody agrees with that.
08:27Now, and if you don't agree with that, then that's a prerogative that they'll get to own.
08:34But, you know, we don't have to apologize for being concerned about the residents of this city who have borne the brunt of school closures.
08:47Think about unemployment in this city where it is mostly concentrated.
08:51Think about violence where it's mostly concentrated.
08:54It would be shameful if I were to repeat the sins of those who have been in this position before because they did not speak enough to black Chicago.
09:03It's why the conditions have worsened.
09:06And under my watch and under my administration, we're going to make those critical investments to ensure that every single person in the city of Chicago benefits from my administration.
09:15And we know that a rising tide will lift all boats.
09:21Hey, Mayor.
09:22So today in committee, zoning committee, the ANI project just north of Bally's.
09:27It's been stalled for a year.
09:29It's coming up.
09:31Mayor, if we can go back to the DOJ thing.
09:34How would you say that race factors into your hiring decisions as you're trying to build your administration?
09:41Well, look, I do believe that there is a tremendous amount of value to make sure that we have qualified, talented people who work in government.
09:51You know, I feel blessed that, you know, our budget director, who just happens to have a JD.
10:01Right?
10:02It's pretty fascinating.
10:04I mean, it's not a requirement of the job, but she brings that element.
10:08You know, when I think about someone like Angela Tovar, who is, you know, leading up our, you know, environmental department.
10:16You know, her skill set and her reputation around the globe is just absolutely, it's just amazing, quite frankly.
10:26What I look for, I look for people who are competent.
10:29Right?
10:30People who are collaborative and people who are compassionate.
10:33You know, is there a value to make sure that people who are closest to neighborhoods bring that level of expertise?
10:43There's value in that.
10:44Of course there's value in diversity.
10:46And we should never shy away from that.
10:48You know, unfortunately, I believe the reason why we've had so many ailments that we've had to address is because there's been a hyper concentration of a particular group or gender that has dominated politics.
11:01Right?
11:02Once upon a time, I think mayoral administrations are probably 70% white.
11:06Now, when I think about what's happened at the federal level, let's just focus there for a second.
11:12One black person in his entire administration.
11:15Now, I don't know if this is a correlation, but only having one black person in his administration and individuals that I would question their qualifications.
11:24You know, you're running up major departments and your background is wrestling.
11:29I mean, and maybe there's something valuable there, but we're not seeing it.
11:34Right?
11:35So, as the Trump administration moves away from diversity, you're seeing more chaos.
11:40As my administration embraces diversity, you know, you're seeing us build the safest, most affordable city in America.
11:49So, look, I look at a variety of things.
11:53You know, and to have an administration that reflects not just the values of our city, but it shows up even in their backgrounds, I think that there's value to that.
12:02And I'm very proud of the fact that we're a growing administration that reflects the city of Chicago.
12:06Can I just a brief follow-up?
12:07Sure.
12:08Will the DOJ find any discriminatory practices in how people are hired?
12:13You know, again, the approach is an approach that speaks to competency.
12:24That's it.
12:27This would be unprecedented.
12:29But if you just look at the way that Trump's administration is reflective or reflecting right now,
12:35I'm calling on the Department of Justice to investigate the Trump's administration and its discriminatory practices and their hiring.
12:43I've been waiting to use that.
12:46I tried it with my son.
12:48He told me not to.
12:49Mayor Johnson.
12:53Yeah.
12:54Please turn the mic on.
12:58Real Chicagoans woke up this morning relieved that the Department of Justice is finally investigating your race hustle.
13:05As someone who grew up on the south side of Chicago, I've heard a lot of race hustlers in my life, trust me.
13:11But they were usually marching around outside of City Hall, which is what makes this so embarrassing and dangerous.
13:22Very, very dangerous to the city of Chicago.
13:24Okay.
13:25We need the question.
13:26I'm more than happy to ask this question.
13:29It's long overdue.
13:31For over a year, real Chicagoans, white and black, have been telling me that your black power rhetoric is bringing the city backwards from a place that it had overcome.
13:42We need the question.
13:43You want the question?
13:44Please.
13:45Real Chicagoans want to know, why are you a racist?
13:48Well, you know, first of all, I reject the idea and the premise that somehow that that's an actual legitimate question.
13:57You want to bet?
13:59All right.
14:00We're going to go to the next one.
14:01Alice.
14:02The next question, my follow-up question is, a businessman, Robert Gomez, had his Riverfront restaurant license yanked.
14:13You said that the reason you hire black people is because they're the most generous race on the planet.
14:20His Riverfront restaurant license was yanked and given to a black restaurateur.
14:30That seems to, that has, once again, reinforced the belief among real Chicagoans, white and black, and Mexican, that you are a racist.
14:42What do you say to those people?
14:45Again, I reject the premise that somehow that your question has any legitimacy.
14:50Thank you for your time, sir.
14:52We'll go to Alice.
14:54Hi, Mayor.
14:55Hi.
14:56Looking more broadly, the Trump administration has increasingly been citing the Civil Rights
15:01Act to investigate whether white people are being discriminated against, including in this
15:05latest DOJ probe.
15:06What do you make of this legal interpretation, and does it being used against Chicago concern you?
15:12Well, you know, again, you know, the diversity that the city of Chicago represents is something
15:21that reflects, quite frankly, the soul of America, right?
15:25We are the quintessential example of what it means to be a global city, and it's a proud legacy.
15:33You know, how this president is using his power, or attempting to use his power, is using it to divide people.
15:41Look, I'm not going to stand for it.
15:43Look, I get it.
15:44It's a conversation that people get provocated by.
15:50But the fact of the matter is, as I continue to work in collaboration to build the safest, most affordable, big city in America, that's what my focus is on.
16:01You know, I can't control, you know, the tyrannical proclivities of this administration.
16:10I just, I try not to get distracted by that.
16:13And I don't want the people of Chicago to get distracted by it, either.
16:16Think about what we're building in our city, where we've seen the occupancy rate increase downtown.
16:23That $20 billion of tourism that is moving through our coffers, that population growth continues to happen.
16:31We're creating safer spaces for our young people.
16:34Now look, I'm not saying that everything is perfect.
16:38What I'm saying is that we're moving in the right direction.
16:41The safest, most affordable big city in America.
16:44That's, people made a decision two years ago around who is going to work the hardest to keep us safe.
16:55And I made a commitment that I would work harder than anyone.
16:59Homicides are down.
17:01Shootings are down.
17:02Carjackings are down.
17:03Robberies are down.
17:04Investments continue to go up.
17:06$11 billion in new investments last year.
17:09$8 billion so far this year.
17:12The process through planning, the planning commission, where we're moving the business activity through the city of Chicago much faster,
17:20178 something days down to 78 days.
17:23With our budget director, we put together a working group to respond to the financial challenges that people are experiencing all over the country.
17:30We had our first gathering on Saturday.
17:32Every single representative was there.
17:35Labor, business, community.
17:36You know, people like, I won't name all the names, but the people there that recognize that it's going to take all of us.
17:44It is this generation's opportunity in turn to come together collectively to transform our city, and that's exactly what we're doing.
17:50And have you reached out to state law?
17:52Okay.
17:53I apologize, Mayor.
17:54I had to step out briefly.
17:55It's okay.
17:56If I'm asking you a question, you've already answered.
17:57I apologize.
17:58It's okay.
17:59In hindsight, given this DOJ probe, the rhetoric used to tout the diversity in your administration, would you change anything that you said in light of perhaps Asian Americans, Native Americans, or Latino Americans who might not feel reflected in the black leadership positions that you talked about?
18:22Given the criticism, is there anything in your rhetoric that you would change in hindsight?
18:27So that's a great question.
18:29So just think about the question that was just asked by your colleague.
18:32She specifically asked about Latino representation.
18:36And so we gave a specific response to Latino representation.
18:40Is there speaking specifically about the comments made over the weekend?
18:43What I'm saying is the question was a specific question that was asked about black contracts in particular.
18:48Look, I get those questions all the time, you all.
18:51I do.
18:52People ask me about LGBTQ plus representation.
18:55They ask me about women representation.
18:57Can I just be absolute honest here?
18:59I know I do this every single press availability.
19:02I'm going to make my communications director cringe.
19:05This is a quintessential example of the type of divisiveness that this president wants us to have.
19:13Do you know how many times I've spoken of the diversity of my administration?
19:18So I'm going to say Christina Pacione Zayas, Beatrice Ponce de Leon, Cynthia Soto, Angela Tovar, Commissioner Andrade, Commissioner Capofalli, Executive Director Frank Velez, Chancellor Salgado, CEO and General Superintendent Ramirez Rosa.
19:42Is that offensive?
19:46Not at all.
19:47Not at all, right?
19:48So what I'm just simply saying is, but is that offensive though?
19:52That I just mentioned leaders within my administration that all are part of the Latin A community.
19:57Why would that be offensive to anyone?
19:59When we have seven, eight percent Asian Americans, do you know what the representation of Asian Americans were in administrations prior?
20:08You don't know, do you?
20:09Not off the top of my head.
20:10No, I don't.
20:11No one has ever asked.
20:13But we still made it a purpose to make sure that there was good representation.
20:17Look, the city of Chicago has suffered from a great deal of pain because of the political and the racial dividing lines that have existed in this city for a long time.
20:27I'm going to break those lines.
20:30I am.
20:31I'm going to show up for the Latino community.
20:34We're going to show up for Asian Americans.
20:36We're going to show up for black folks in this city.
20:39We're going to show up for the LGBTQ plus community.
20:42Any group that has been marginalized and have suffered under tyranny and oppression, we're going to show up for them.
20:48We're not going to be intimidated by the tyranny that's coming from the federal government.
20:51The diversity of our city is our strength.
20:54And so when people ask me some specific questions about their particular communities, they're going to want to know that there's some assurance within my administration that I'm going to show up for that particular community.
21:03And do you know why they ask those questions?
21:05Because other administrations have failed.
21:07And I'm giving people some confidence that I'm not going to ignore any particular group, especially groups that have been marginalized.
21:14And so of course the president wants to highlight the fact that I mentioned those names.
21:18So guess what?
21:19I hope that he listened when I said Capofale, Ponce de Leon, Velez.
21:26Those are powerful surnames just like Johnson, Williams, and Jenkins.
21:32And that's the celebration of who we are as a city.
21:34And I'm not going to be intimidated or allow the failures of the past to dictate how we move forward.
21:41This is this generation's opportunity to get something right.
21:46And so when Cesar Chavez and when Reverend Jackson were fighting collectively to ensure that brown and black people could be empowered,
21:55and they got us as far as they could get us, now it's going to take a collective response from all of us to ensure that no one is left behind in this city.
22:04And that's why I'm very grateful that I'm in a position to build the safest, most affordable big city in America.
22:11And regardless of your surname, you get to find sainty here in this beloved city.
22:15Thank you all for your time.
22:16Thank you all.
22:17Thank you all.