Mayor Brandon finds national spotlight battling Trump

Oh, that Voldemort is an evil bastard. Who's grabbing the biggest headlines for the Dems. Mayor Brandon, Mamdani and Gov Fatso. Great for the Dem Party. The Dark Lord is adding gasoline to the fire? This may help these two politicians in their local bubbles (which Trump knows he'll never win), but hurts the party on the national stage.

Have you heard from a centrist Dem lately in the news?

Johnson finds national spotlight battling Trump

Axios News

Oct 7, 2025

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has quietly become one of the strongest Democratic voices in the resistance to the Trump administration.

The big picture: Johnson has been forced into national politics over issues of city crime, immigration and military intervention.

The latest: Yesterday, Johnson signed the "ICE Free Zone" executive order to prohibit federal immigration agents from using any city-owned property.

"In the wake of the ongoing incursion on the Constitutional rights of Chicagoans and the operations of federal immigration agents designed to stoke fear in communities across Chicago, Mayor Johnson is taking decisive action to protect Chicago's immigrant community and the Constitutional rights of all Chicagoans," a statement about the order said.

Driving the news: The mayor, who has suffered low popularity numbers during the first part of his term, is now taking calls to appear on national talk shows like MSNBC and CNN, raising his profile and amplifying his message.

Zoom in: While Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has zeroed in on President Trump's attacks on freedoms and the U.S. Constitution, Johnson has gone even further, defending against Trump's attacks on the working-class and people of color.

And it's working.

"The Democrats shouldn't be talking about Gavin Newsom for president," a panelist said on "Roland Martin Unfiltered." "They should be looking at Mayor Brandon Johnson."

What he's said: "This is not about public safety. This is not even about immigration," Johnson said in a statement last week about expanded ICE activity. "This is a continuation of the Trump administration's war on the poor."

Reality check: Johnson still has his detractors, mainly city Democrats who have criticized his administration on issues over budgeting, schools and his candor with the media.