Trump: Chicago mayor should ask feds to help curb violence
Donald Trump on Monday decried Chicago’s astronomical murder rate — and offered help from the federal government to get it under control.
“Chicago murder rate is record setting – 4,331 shooting victims with 762 murders in 2016. If Mayor can’t do it he must ask for Federal help!” Trump tweeted.
The Chicago police department says there were 762 homicides in 2016.
But the Chicago Tribune, using its own calculations, said there were actually there were 781.
Regardless, it’s the highest number of homicides in the city since 1996, when 796 were recorded.
In fact, Chicago had more murders than New York City and Los Angeles combined.
In New York, there were 334 homicides in 2016. And in Los Angeles, there were 294.
Trump’s tweet was a direct dig at the mayor of Chicago, Rahm Emanuel, a former aide to Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.
Trump met with Emanuel on Dec. 7, 2016 at Trump Tower.
The president-elect and Chicago mayor discussed White House operations, immigration, transportation, economic opportunity and community colleges, Emanuel told reporters after the meeting.
It’s unclear whether Trump and Emanuel discussed the murder rate in Chicago.