{"id":302320,"date":"2025-10-14T09:54:10","date_gmt":"2025-10-14T09:54:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/302320\/"},"modified":"2025-10-14T09:54:10","modified_gmt":"2025-10-14T09:54:10","slug":"philadelphias-mayor-diverges-from-other-democratic-mayors-as-trump-threatens-blue-cities-with-national-guard-troops","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/302320\/","title":{"rendered":"Philadelphia’s mayor diverges from other Democratic mayors as Trump threatens blue cities with National Guard troops"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hours after President Donald Trump<\/a> suggested that the military use American cities as \u201ctraining grounds,\u201d<\/a> Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker<\/a> stared down a row of cameras at an unrelated news conference. A reporter wanted to know her response to the president.<\/p>\n

Parker said she\u2019s proud to support young people training for the armed services through programs like ROTC.<\/p>\n

No, the reporter explained, the president wants to send troops to cities to practice warfare.<\/p>\n

The mayor dodged again. \u201cWe have used an intergovernmental approach to ensure public health and safety in our city,\u201d she said, \u201cand we will continue doing so.\u201d<\/p>\n

Parker\u2019s non-answer followed a now familiar pattern that\u2019s uncommon<\/a> among other Democrats<\/a>: she has gone to great lengths to avoid confrontation with Trump since he took office in January. And she is not straying from the tactic, even as Trump has deployed troops to other American cities<\/a> against the will of their Democratic mayors.<\/p>\n

As Trump has targeted Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Portland, Ore. for National Guard deployments, he has not publicly brought up Philadelphia. His administration has not filed a lawsuit against the city over its immigration policies, despite suing other jurisdictions with similar practices of not sharing some information<\/a> with federal enforcement. And while the president has slammed mayors from other Democratic-run cities, he has not mentioned Parker.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a notable omission for Trump, who has in the past fixated on deep-blue Philadelphia as a place where \u201cbad things happen.\u201d<\/a> <\/p>\n

Some of Parker\u2019s supporters say the fact that Trump\u2019s focus is elsewhere is evidence that her quiet strategy is working, and those close to her say her restraint is deliberate.<\/p>\n

She has avoided taking on a president who has made commonplace of seeking revenge against political opponents. Parker\u2019s administration stopped referring to Philadelphia as a \u201csanctuary city,\u201d<\/a> instead calling it a \u201cwelcoming city\u201d as federal authorities bear down on such jurisdictions. And the mayor has maintained relationships in Washington, including with Republicans<\/a>, as she tries to steer clear of negative attention from the White House.<\/p>\n

\u201cMayor Parker\u2019s approach is what steady, disciplined leadership looks like,\u201d said Kyle Darby, a lobbyist who has worked both in Philadelphia and Washington. \u201cBeing loudly outspoken for certain populations is what some people want to hear, but right now in this climate, it\u2019s not always helpful, especially when you\u2019re the head of a city and any repercussions can affect millions of people.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00bb READ MORE: Philly Mayor Cherelle L. Parker is among the Democrats trying to coexist with Trump<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n

Parker\u2019s approach is dramatically different from others in her party.<\/p>\n

In Chicago, for example, Democrats have loudly decried the Trump administration\u2019s immigration tactics and sued over the National Guard mobilization. In return, Trump last week called for<\/a> Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker to be jailed.<\/p>\n

Locally, District Attorney Larry Krasner<\/a> regularly calls Trump a \u201cfascist\u201d<\/a> and hosted town halls<\/a> about a potential military deployment. City Council has passed<\/a> 15 resolutions criticizing Trump and the White House. Even the centrist Council President Kenyatta Johnson<\/a> recently suggested taking legal action<\/a> against the Trump administration.<\/p>\n

Last week, Gov. Josh Shapiro<\/a>, widely considered a 2028 presidential<\/a> contender, signed onto a national lawsuit<\/a> over the Guard deployments in other states. And Parker\u2019s predecessor, former Mayor Jim Kenney<\/a>, often made no secret of his disdain<\/a> for Trump during the president\u2019s first term.<\/p>\n

\u00bb READ MORE: How Trump’s first 100 days impacted Pennsylvania<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n

But Parker has been steadfast, refusing to comment on hypotheticals or threats despite mounting pressure \u2014 especially from activists<\/a> and the political left \u2014 to do so before the president may turn his attention here.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are living in actual fascism,\u201d said City Councilmember Nicolas O\u2019Rourke, of the progressive Working Families Party<\/a>. \u201cWhen you have someone moving like that, you do need to be proactive.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added: \u201cIt\u2019s clear the mayor is being calculating. That is not the tactic I would take. I think we need to be more pronounced.\u201d<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for Parker declined to comment.<\/p>\n

Parker says she\u2019s prioritizing funding over politics<\/p>\n

It has long been challenging to place Parker on the traditional left-right ideological spectrum. <\/p>\n

During her historic 2023 campaign to be elected Philadelphia\u2019s first female mayor<\/a>, Parker, a lifelong Democrat, ran as a tough-on-crime candidate and rejected some progressive ideals as out-of-touch. She often touted her experience working with Republicans in her former role as a state representative.<\/p>\n

A year into her first term, Trump took office for the second time. Parker immediately expressed openness to collaborating with his administration on her priorities<\/a>, including public safety.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no evidence that Parker and Trump have worked together directly since.<\/p>\n

While Parker has not spoken publicly about her strategy to avoid overtly denouncing the president, she has made clear that her willingness to work with him is motivated by preserving the more than $2 billion the city receives<\/a> annually in federal aid.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t have the luxury of not having our fiscal house in order,\u201d Parker said after Trump took office. \u201cSo I do anticipate, as mayor of the city of Philadelphia, eventually meeting with President Trump and\/or members of his administration.\u201d<\/p>\n

Top city officials feared the Trump administration would follow through on his campaign threats to strip all federal funding from so-called sanctuary cities<\/a> like Philadelphia, where authorities do not hold people in custody at the request of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement without a judicial warrant. That policy was adopted under previous mayors,<\/a> and Parker has not changed it.<\/p>\n

So far, the Trump administration has not stripped funding from the city because of its immigration policies, and it has not filed a lawsuit against Philadelphia over them, despite doing so elsewhere. (His administration did separately terminate some grants<\/a> to the city.)<\/p>\n

It\u2019s unclear why exactly Philadelphia has avoided the same fate as some of its peer cities run by Democrats. <\/b><\/p>\n

Asked to comment on the National Guard deployments, a White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said they \u201cwould not get ahead of the president on future considerations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some political strategists have observed that the Trump administration has avoided activating the military in swing states, including Pennsylvania. Polling shows a majority of Americans believe the federal government should only send troops to face external threats.<\/a><\/p>\n

Another factor could be that protests in Philadelphia against immigration enforcement have been largely contained. They have been smaller than in cities like Los Angeles and Portland, where <\/b>demonstrations grew combative at times and were <\/b>cited by Trump officials as a justification for the military deployments.<\/p>\n

Philadelphia\u2019s municipal government also has connections to the Trump administration. The city has long contracted federal lobbyists to advocate on its behalf, and has spent about $100,000 paying lobbyists from two firms so far this year, according to federal records.<\/p>\n

And Parker has said she has personal relationships with Pennsylvania\u2019s congressional delegation.<\/p>\n

That includes U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick<\/a>, a freshman Republican from western Pennsylvania and a Trump ally. It\u2019s unclear if McCormick has lobbied Trump or the administration on the city\u2019s behalf, and his office didn\u2019t respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s clear he and Parker <\/b>are friendly.<\/p>\n

Parker and McCormick have on several occasions spoken fondly of one another, with McCormick specifically praising Parker\u2019s<\/a> support of law enforcement and her efforts to address the city\u2019s opioid epidemic.<\/p>\n

During an interview on local talk radio this year, McCormick said he\u2019s \u201ca fan\u201d of Parker.<\/a> He said he\u2019d met with her multiple times and spoke with her \u201cat length\u201d after a deadly plane crash in Northeast Philadelphia<\/a> in January.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think Philadelphia\u2019s got a great mayor,\u201d McCormick said.<\/p>\n

Other elected officials are ratcheting up the alarm<\/p>\n

Still, many of Trump\u2019s loudest critics in Philadelphia think the city is on borrowed time, and should do more to prepare for the Trump administration to deploy the military here.<\/p>\n

Krasner, the progressive prosecutor running for his third term in office, has said the Trump administration is looking for an<\/a> \u201cexcuse to invade\u201d Democratic-led cities. And City Council recently passed a resolution condemning a potential deployment of the National Guard in Philadelphia.<\/p>\n

Councilmember Kendra Brooks<\/a>, the author of the legislation, said during a recent Council meeting that she\u2019s \u201cconcerned about the city\u2019s current approach.\u201d<\/p>\n

The effort was backed by a parade of local activists who testified for the resolution\u2019s passage, with several offering veiled criticisms of Parker. The Rev. Peter Ahn alluded to Parker\u2019s oft-used catchphrase, \u201cOne Philly, a United City,\u201d and said Philadelphia leaders should be outspoken against Trump\u2019s actions in other cities.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur silence does not make us safe,\u201d Ahn said. \u201cA united city is good. Solidarity with other cities is even better.\u201d<\/p>\n

There are also signs that alarm is growing among even more centrist Democrats. Councilmember Curtis Jones Jr., a Democrat and longtime ally of Parker\u2019s, said local leaders have \u201chad to alter and two-step around\u201d Trump to protect federal aid to the city. But he questioned how long that dance can last.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to as we move forward as a body, as a city,\u201d he said. \u201cAt what point do we draw the line? At what point do we say \u2018enough is enough?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

And Johnson floated Council working with outside activists to take legal action against the Trump administration over threats to alter exhibits about slavery<\/a> at Independence National Historic Park. <\/p>\n

Johnson, who has a close relationship with Parker<\/a>, said he wasn\u2019t working with the mayor on the effort. He wouldn\u2019t engage with reporters\u2019 questions about her approach, but said broadly that local government is the \u201cfront line\u201d in opposing Trump\u2019s agenda.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo we have to step up,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cWe have to use our platforms as a bully pulpit to advocate for those most in need.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Hours after President Donald Trump suggested that the military use American cities as \u201ctraining grounds,\u201d Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":95383,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5132],"tags":[5229,153574,1448,2830,1311,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-302320","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-philadelphia","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-mayor-parker-philadelphia-national-guard-troops-trump-response","10":"tag-pa","11":"tag-pennsylvania","12":"tag-philadelphia","13":"tag-united-states","14":"tag-united-states-of-america","15":"tag-unitedstates","16":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","17":"tag-us","18":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115371918298753480","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/302320","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=302320"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/302320\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/95383"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=302320"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=302320"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=302320"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}