Trump Vs. Emanuel: Crosstown Classic Has Nothing On This Political Rivalry

In the same week the Cubs and White Sox renewed the Crosstown Classic, President Donald Trump and Mayor Rahm Emanuel rekindled their cross-country rivalry, a game of political one-upmanship that has been smoldering to various degrees since November. The rhetoric between the elected officials seemed to simmer down during the summer after it peaked shortly following Trump's inauguration. But the two have had each other on blast since Monday over a variety of issues.

In case you've forgotten, the game between the two is usually played in one of two ways. Here's a refresher for everyone scoring at home: Trump takes a national policy stance that has repercussions for Chicago — usually concerning immigration or healthcare — and Emanuel publicly criticizes it. Or Emanuel takes it on the chin from Trump, who uses Twitter, a TV interview or speaking engagement to call out the mayor and his administration, usually concerning the city's gun violence and crime. (Get Patch real-time email alerts for the latest news for Chicago — or your neighborhood. And iPhone users: Check out Patch's new app.)

Before this week's exchange, the last time Trump and Emanuel took their beefs public like a pair of hip-hop moguls was at the end of June when the president announced that about 20 more Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents were being sent to Chicago. The agents — part of a joint task force with the Chicago Police Department and the Illinois State Police that will use ballistics technology to combat the city's gun violence — followed through on Trump's infamous pledge from January via Twitter to "send in the Feds" if Chicago didn't fix its crime problem.

"Crime and killings in Chicago have reached such epidemic proportions that I am sending in Federal help. 1714 shootings in Chicago this year!" he wrote in a June 30 tweet.

RELATED: Trump Finally Sends In The Feds To Chicago

That was followed by a statement from Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who said the US Department of Justice "cannot accept these levels of violence" in Chicago. Sessions also attacked Emanuel and other city leaders for maintaining Chicago's sanctuary city status as a safe haven for undocumented immigrants.

“So-called 'sanctuary' policies tie the hands of law enforcement by rejecting common sense and undermining federal laws that would remove criminal, illegal aliens from the streets and remove them from this country," Sessions said in a statement released in June.

RELATED: Trump Continues Chicago Bashing; Check Out His City Swipes Since Taking Office

The response from the mayor's office at the time? “If the president was as interested in taking action on public safety as he is in tweeting about it, we would have seen these resources months ago," spokesman Adam Collins told the Chicago Sun-Times last month.

Here are what Trump and Emanuel were talking about this week:

Health Insurance Reform (Tuesday, July 25)

What Trump And/Or His Administration Did: Introduction of a Trump-backed "repeal" of the Affordable Healthcare Act in the US Senate. Republicans were unable to pass the bill Wednesday afternoon in a 45-55 vote. A more comprehensive healthcare reform bill, the Better Care Reconciliation Act, was shot down Tuesday by a 43-57 vote.

RELATED: Obamacare 'Repeal' Bill Fails In Senate Vote

Emanuel's Response: “Today, President Trump and the Senate Republicans proved they are happy to repeal a health care policy that has provided health care coverage to millions of Americans and replace it with nothing more than political rhetoric. I want to thank Senators Durbin and Duckworth for standing up for the American people, particularly the 300,000 Chicagoans who only have health care today because of the Affordable Care Act. They know what I know, that taking away health care from millions of Americans will not make America great again.”

Transgender Military Ban (Wednesday, July 26)

What Trump And/Or His Administration Did: In a series of tweets, the president announced a ban against transgender individuals in the US military "in any capacity." "Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail. Thank you."

RELATED: President Trump Bans Transgender People From Military Service

Emanuel's Response: "On the 69th anniversary of President Truman’s order to integrate the military, President Trump has come down on the wrong side of history. He is choosing to divide us rather than unite us. Brave Americans who seek to selflessly serve this country in uniform should have the opportunity to answer the call to service, regardless of their identity. The Trump administration's decision to ban transgender individuals from serving in the U.S. armed forces is another anachronistic, divisive and discriminatory policy that does nothing to enhance the safety and security of the country."

Crime, Immigration And Sanctuary Cities (Tuesday, July 25)

What Trump Had To Say: During a speech Tuesday in Youngstown, Ohio, Trump criticized Emanuel for letting Chicago's gun violence and crime get out of hand. "This month in Chicago, there have been more than two homicide victims per day," he said. "What the hell is going on in Chicago? Better tell that mayor to get tough, because it's not working what they're doing."

Earlier in the same speech, the president also was critical of sanctuary cities in general, although he didn't single out Chicago.

"The predators and criminal aliens who poison our communities with drugs and prey on innocent young people … will find no safe haven anywhere in our country …," Trump said Tuesday. "And these are the animals that we've been protecting for so long. Well, they're not being protected any longer, folks. And that is why my administration is launching a nationwide crackdown on sanctuary cities. American cities should be sanctuaries for law-abiding Americans, for people that look up to the law, for people that respect the law, not for criminals and gang members that we want the hell out of our country."

President Donald Trump (left) and Mayor Rahm Emanuel (Photos via Patch archive)

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