Police Chief Slams Trump For Disparaging Chicago: 'Facts Matter'

CHICAGO, IL — Police Supt. Eddie Johnson defended his department and the city after President Donald Trump on Monday criticized Chicago, saying it was less safe than Afghanistan. Trump's remarks came during a speech at the International Association of Chiefs of Police meeting in Chicago, which Johnson decided to skip in protest of the president's rhetoric.

Johnson announced last week that he would not attend Trump's speech at the police chief's meeting, a move that the president slammed. During his speech Monday, Trump lashed out at Johnson and criticized the city for its issues with crime. Trump accused Johnson of promoting values that are a "disgrace" and said "Afghanistan is a safe place by comparison"to Chicago.

"I said, 'Where is he? I want to talk to him.' More than anyone else this person should be here because maybe he could learn something," Trump said of Johnson's absence at the Monday meeting. "That's a very insulting statement after all that I've done for the police, over a hundred years, we can prove it, but probably since the beginning."

RELATED: Trump Says Afghanistan Is Safer Than Chicago As Thousands Protest

Speaking to reporters after Trump's remarks, Johnson defended his handling of the city's issues with gun violence and other crime and rebuked Trump's characterization of Chicago. Gun violence is down nearly 40 percent from a two-decade high in 2016, and there has been double digit reductions in robberies, burglaries and car thefts, Johnson said. Johnson said the police chiefs meeting was held locally so other departments could see the "Chicago turn around."

"The same police officers the president criticized for their inability to protect the city spent the day protecting him," Johnson told reporters. "This president is known for doing a lot of talking about the city of Chicago. If he's truly ready to roll up his sleeves to partner with us, so are we, as long as the partnership reflects who we are as Chicagoans."

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot also responded to Trump's criticism, saying in a tweet the president "knows as much about policing as he does running a fair and transparent government."

At his speech, Trump railed against Chicago's status as a "sanctuary city" for immigrants and criticized local law enforcement for not partnering with the Immigrant and Customs Enforcement agency, or ICE, which handles deportations. In response, Johnson said immigrants do not disproportionately contribute to the city's crime problems and said it is more important for police to be trusted by immigrant communities than to help the federal government with immigrant enforcement.

"This administration has hurt many communities in Chicago," Johnson told reporters. "The CPD is here and will always be here to stand up for them."

As for Trump likening Chicago to Afghanistan, Johnson said the national image of Chicago as a "city on fire" is "simply not true."

"We have bigger challenges in this city than going back and forth," Johnson said.

During his speech to police chiefs, Trump once again brought up a Chicago police officer who supposedly told then-candidate Trump that he could solve the city's crime problem in a day if leadership got out of the way. Johnson said the department has conducted a search for the officer and question, saying "that person doesn't exist."

"If there's somebody that can stop crime in a day, I would bow down to them and say, 'Bring it on,'" Johnson said.

Trump's stop in Chicago was met with thousands of protesters, who took to the streets outside the Trump Tower Chicago and denounced a slew of the president's actions, including border detention and on foreign policy matters like Ukraine.

After his speech to the assembled police chiefs, Trump was scheduled to make a stop at his namesake tower in River North for a fundraiser.