Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson compares the Trump administration to the Confederacy, arguing federal overreach threatens national unity. He defines the U.S. as a constitutional republic where elected officials control spending, citing A. Philip Randolph on equal rights for the humblest citizens. While advocating resistance against ICE and claiming poor families face terror without due process, critics note his rhetoric conflates immigrants with criminals and ignores historical inaccuracies regarding Confederate secession. Ultimately, the analysis suggests Johnson's hyperbolic comparisons to galvanize voters may stem from a flawed understanding of history rather than genuine constitutional concern. [Automatically generated summary]
Transcriber: nvidia/parakeet-tdt-0.6b-v2, sat-12l-sm, and large-v3-turbo
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Breaking Away From The Union00:08:18
We have a tyrant in the White House who has a complete disregard for our Constitution and the dismissing of our democracy.
The First Amendment of our Constitution clearly states that the federal government guarantees the right of the people to peaceably to assemble.
The right to peaceably protest is so fundamental to our country that it is the very First Amendment of our Constitution.
And when we talk about democracy, we are not talking about just voting every four years.
In a democratic society, the people are in charge and the government is responsive to the needs of everyday people.
That's not how it works.
When we talk about democracy, we are not talking about some high and lofty idea.
We are talking about A. Philip Randolph's definition.
No.
He says, a community is democratic only when the humblest and the weakest person can enjoy the highest civil, economic, and social rights that the biggest and most powerful possesses.
That's not even possible.
Yeah, it sounds like he puts in socialism.
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I want to correct some things before we get back to the video.
They keep saying it's a democratic government.
We are a Republican form of government.
Yeah.
And we're not a democracy.
We're a constitutional republic.
It's a significant difference.
Yeah, we have a democratic principles within a constitutional republic.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
But we are a Republican form of government.
Yeah.
But as far as you say the power goes to the people, no, we elect officials through our constitutional republic to represent us.
Yeah.
That's how often they have hold apart.
Yeah.
I can't tell our government, hey, you can't spend my tax dollars for that.
I can't.
My elected officials, the people we vote for, makes that determination.
All right.
This press conference goes far left.
He doesn't even know how a system of government works.
Yeah.
And it's misleading his own constituents.
In a democratic society, it doesn't matter if you have billions of dollars or if you are living paycheck to paycheck.
We should all have the same rights under the law.
We do.
We do.
That is why we stand up for our immigrant community.
That is why we stand up for incarcerated people.
That is why we stand up for working people.
Yeah, he said immigrant community.
He didn't bring up illegal community.
Yeah, that's what this whole situation is based around.
Do you see illegals in our country?
Yeah, that's what they keep conflating those terms.
Immigrants with illegal immigrants.
Immigrants are welcome, but illegal immigrants have to go.
And what do you think he meant by we stand up for the people that's incarcerated?
Murderers, rapists?
Why would you stand up for them?
You are a joke.
Yeah.
What we are seeing in California and across this country is an affront to that idea.
We are seeing poor and working people being terrorized without due process.
What?
We continue to see families being ripped apart.
While federal immigration enforcement have jurisdiction, we want to continue to assure that all Chicagoans know their rights.
We will work.
Yeah, and Trump knows their rights too.
If you're in this country illegally, you got to go.
Yeah, but it's so hyperbolic.
He says poor families getting ripped apart.
There was a guy here in Vegas.
He's the biggest TikToker in the world.
I think he's worth over $30 million, right?
He was in our country legally here in Vegas, right?
He was in our country illegally.
He overstayed his visa.
They made him self-deport.
Does his economic background to that one guy I just explained to you, the TikToker, was that taken into consideration?
No, we don't care if you're poor or rich.
If you're in our country illegally, you don't supposed to be here.
But he's making it seem like we're just targeting poor folks, poor migrants.
Well, he's trying to appeal to his voter base, a bunch of idiots.
Work with our community partners to continue to stand up for our immigrant community and for all of our people in our beloved city.
Now I'm happy to answer any of the questions that you may have.
This goes crazy.
We don't have time for a long question today, sir.
So just straight to the question and we're going to go right to Heather.
Yeah, yeah, straight to the question.
We're going to go straight to Heather.
Yes.
Jeez.
I thought the theme of today's press conference was freedom of speech.
At any rate, you have called on the citizens of Chicago to rise up against ICE, to resist ICE, to fight back against ICE.
Many Chicagoans, including black and brown, tell me that that sounds like a call to violence.
It is.
In light of the violence that we're seeing in Los Angeles now, the looting, the damage to property, the attacks on law enforcement, would you consider withdrawing that violent call to violence?
I believe in nonviolence.
I believe in nonviolence.
Not to that state that you don't.
Well, you also have said that the illegal immigrants that are being targeted by ICE are the working families of Chicago.
The real Chicagoans are now facing tax increases because you've spent millions of their tax dollars on migrants.
They're including a grocery tax.
Why would you think that real Chicagoans should trust you to spend their money after you've already wasted millions of it on illegal enemies?
We are investing in people.
Is that really honestly your only answer?
We're going to go to Heather now.
We're investing in people.
What are you...
How about investing in Americans?
Yeah.
You invest in people that don't supposed to be here.
You're giving our tax dollars to people that don't supposed to be here benefits that was meant for Americans.
But you say we're investing in people.
You should invest in people, people that's legally to, that are legal to be here.
Are you hearing from people in the community?
I mean, we've heard some reports earlier this week that it's going back to when people were afraid to come outside or go to work or take their kids to school.
They're terrified.
They are absolutely terrified.
And that's, look, I remember a few stand-ups ago when I talked about what terrorism looks like.
This is it.
Terrorism.
There should be no question to what our country would look like had the Confederacy won.
What?
We're seeing it on full display.
And there's no art form in this.
Wow, what an idiot.
This is literally just using the power of the federal apparatus to insert its will on whomever.
Right now in our country, there's no check and balance.
It doesn't exist right now.
Speaker.
There is no check and balance on illegal immigration in this country.
Yeah.
Why did he bring up the Confederacy?
Like the Confederacy wanted to succeed from the United States.
Yeah, because they thought the federal government was overreaching in their states.
Yeah.
They want to break apart.
So what is Trump doing to succeed from the United States?
Yeah.
He's just trying to kick out illegal immigrants.
But he makes it seem like the Confederacy was trying to take over the Civil War.
The Confederacy wanted to take over the United States.
No, they want to break away.
They just want to break away.
They want to be their own country.
So how are you comparing what the Confederacy wants to do to what Trump is trying to do?
Resurrecting The Confederacy Myth00:00:38
That's because he doesn't know the history of what happened during the Civil War.
He thinks they tried to take over like Germany or something.
Yeah, and not to mention, he doesn't even know how our government works.
Yeah.
And this guy is a mayor of Chicago.
Everything that comes out of his mouth is absolute nonsense.
Well, it's all hyperbolic to galvanize his constituents to continue to support him.
That's why he compared them, the Trump administration, to the Confederacy.
Because that's what most black people, that's all they want to hear.
Yeah, he's right.
They're racist.
Yeah, that's what resonates with his constituents.
That's why he said it.
He's the exact reflection of the people who vote for him.