Chicago City Council Alderman Raymond Lopez has publicly denounced his own party during a live interview, declaring that the Democratic National Convention is failing to address the real issues facing American citizens.
Lopez, who represents the 15th Ward of Chicago, did not hold back as he criticized his party for its lack of focus on critical topics such as public safety and immigration.
During an appearance on The Ingraham Angle, Lopez expressed his disillusionment with the Democratic Party’s direction.
Ingraham: Are Democrats winning any new voters at this convention?
Chicago City Council Alderman Raymond Lopez: I highly doubt it. I think this is all playing to their own base, not trying to recruit new people because, clearly, the Democratic Party—my party—is not interested in talking about what matters. How are you going to keep people safe? How are you going to secure the border? How are you going to deal with the 8 million undocumented individuals that they let in under Kamala Harris’s lead?
WATCH:
BREAKING: A Democrat member of the Chicago City Council just came out against his own party on LIVE TV, saying the convention is FAILING
“My party [Democrat] is not interested in talking about what matters. How are you gonna keep people safe? How are you gonna secure the… pic.twitter.com/0wUE41XZhQ
— George (@BehizyTweets) August 20, 2024
During the interview, Ingraham highlighted the alarming decrease in law enforcement numbers in Chicago, a city that has been plagued by escalating violence and crime. Lopez confirmed that Chicago is down nearly 2,000 officers.
The Alderman didn’t stop at mere statistics; he painted a vivid picture of a city grappling with chaos while its leaders engage in what he termed “a beauty pageant of hypocrisy.”
Ingraham: A bunch of folks came up to me. I went for a little exercise today, walking all around and out at Navy Pier, and people who live in Chicago—they love this city, and they are really mad, still mad. It’s not a political response; this is just a common-sense desire for a better life. I’m not hearing any policies about how to recruit. One of them said we were down, what, a thousand law enforcement officers in Chicago, I believe. Is that the correct number?
Raymond Lopez: Almost 2,000.
Ingraham: Almost 2,000? I’m off by… I’m like the Bureau of Labor Statistics—I’m off by 100%. That’s a problem. Why aren’t we discussing things like that?
Raymond Lopez: Because right now, we’re in this beauty pageant of hypocrisy.
Ingraham: A beauty pageant of hypocrisy?
Raymond Lopez: Yeah, because we say one thing and we’re doing the exact opposite. You have the most American of American cities, where we’re telling people to come here, feel welcome, enjoy our beautiful city—and 100%, it’s a beautiful city. But yet we had to board up every single store in the surrounding area to keep it safe from looters and rioters that our mayor, Brandon Johnson, has welcomed here and said, “Come and show us what your true colors are.” It’s really pitiful.
Lopez also criticized the party’s handling of immigration, particularly the lack of support for communities overwhelmed by the influx of undocumented individuals. He pointed out the absurdity of the situation: while asylum seekers receive government-funded rental assistance and accommodations in hotels, everyday Chicagoans and even the National Guard are left to fend for themselves.
When pressed by Ingraham on whether he would support Kamala Harris, Lopez revealed his deep dissatisfaction with the party’s leadership.
Ingraham: Are you supporting Kamala Harris?
Raymond Lopez: I haven’t decided because, even when Joe Biden was asking for the Democratic Party’s endorsement here, I was the lone Democrat in Chicago to say, “I’m not going to just jump in and endorse him,” because I’ve seen what the immigration situation has done to neighborhoods like mine on the southwest side. We have got no answers. We get no support, and there’s no plan for the future. That really bothers me as we move forward.
Ingraham: A government-funded program in Chicago, World Relief Chicagoland, provides up to $15,000 in rental assistance for six months for asylum seekers. So the illegals are more of a priority than the Chicago people. I saw a lot of people on drugs, a lot of homeless, a lot of people—
Raymond Lopez: We have everyday Chicagoans struggling to pay rent, getting no support. We even have our own National Guard, who are here this week to protect us, sleeping in the hallways of the police headquarters because we couldn’t put them in hotels. But we have whole hotels dedicated to the undocumented asylum seekers.
Lopez’s frustration was palpable, and his words resonated with many who feel abandoned by the Democrat establishment. Ingraham noted that everything Lopez was saying suggested he might support Donald Trump in the upcoming election—a notion Lopez did not dismiss outright.
Ingraham: Alderman, everything you’re saying to me indicates that you want to support Donald Trump. You want to support him. I mean, come on…
Raymond Lopez: With nobody in the background, I want to support a president that’s going to do right by our communities, do right by our country. I’m tired of this anger-driven hysteria… I will give Trump credit because he at least is putting himself out there with proposals, with plans, and allowing questions, while all I’m getting from others is “trust me when we get there.”
