Happy Wednesday, Illinois. We stayed up for President Donald Trump’s speech so you didn’t have to.
At the Hideout Thursday: Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi will talk about how his office determines how much your house is worth. Tickets here
President Donald Trump teed off on immigration, transgender rights and DEI, all the culture-war issues during a combative address to a joint session of Congress Tuesday night.
“Wokeness is trouble. Wokeness is bad. It’s gone,” the president said, repeatedly deriding Democrats for not applauding him and name-checking former President Joe Biden at least 16 times.
At an hour and 40 minutes, it was the longest presidential address to Congress ever.
Trump talked a lot about trimming the federal government, but one area he wants to beef up is in immigration. He called for a crackdown, or, as he put it, “The Great Liberation of America.”
And should you think otherwise, he promised to continue “swift and unrelenting action” on a range of issues.
Illinois Democrats in attendance looked pained to be there. Yep, we saw you, Congressman Jonathan Jackson and Congresswoman Lauren Underwood.
Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski was among Democratic leaders who wore pink “to show our continued support and fight for women’s rights in this country,” she told your Playbook host.
It was only a coincidence that Republican Congresswoman Mary Miller also wore pink. We spotted her talking to Trump as he entered the chamber. Pic!
Skipping the speech were Congress members Sean Casten, Mike Quigley and Jan Schakowsky, via the Daily Herald’s Marni Pyke.
What’s next: Trump’s vow to crack down on immigration comes as Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and three other big-city mayors will answer questions this morning of the House Oversight Committee on their sanctuary city status. Johnson says he “can’t wait” to testify.
We’ll be glued. The hearing starts at 9 a.m. CT. Watch it here
REACTIONS to Trump’s speech ran along party line s…
Gov. JB Pritzker accused Trump and congressional Republicans of being “out of touch with the realities facing working families.” Full statement here
Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin accused Trump of “grandstanding,” saying, “What we witnessed tonight was hubris in its highest form.”
Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth said Trump “promised he’d lower costs for middle-class Americans, but clearly that was a lie he sold to get elected.”
Congressman Jesus “Chuy” Garcia (D-04) said “Instead of offering solutions, he pitted Americans against each other as cover for stealing from government programs to benefit his billionaire friends.”
Congressman Brad Schneider (D-10) said “Absent from [Trump’s] hollow promises were any real solutions to the challenges that are facing the American people.”
Illinois Republican Party Chair Kathy Salvi hailed Trump’s accomplishments so far: “Common sense solutions, securing our border, stopping government waste and abuse and putting America First. The next four years will be full of prosperity as we get our country back on track.”
And Congressman Darin LaHood (R16) said Trump’s speech “laid out an inspiring vision to capitalize on the rapid start of his administration and work towards renewing the American Dream.”
RELATED
Trump uses old tricks to sell a new agenda: “Long a provocateur, the president is now presenting himself as an ideologue,” by POLITICO’s John Harris.
Fighting Trump requires focus. Democrats didn’t show it, by POLITICO’s Rachael Bade
COURT-SIDE: Attorney General Kwame Raul has filed a motion to dismiss the Justice Department’s lawsuit against Illinois for enforcing its TRUST Act, which limits local law enforcement from getting involved in federal deportation cases. The move came on the eve of Mayor Brandon Johnson defending sanctuary status in the city of Chicago. The memorandum is here.
Background: The feds’ complaint claims Illinois is preempted by federal immigration laws, but the state says there’s no federal law that conflicts with the TRUST Act. McHenry County similarly sued over the act in the 7th Circuit Court, which found that the TRUST Act regulates state officers, not federal. There’s a similar memorandum to dismiss the lawsuit against Cook County, too.
In a separate case: U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi has announced she’s intervening in a lawsuit challenging Illinois’ law that requires nonprofits to publicly disclose demographic information, such as race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and gender identity, of its officers and directors. Reuters’ Nate Raymond has more.
If you are Pam Bondi, Playbook would like to hear from you! Email: [email protected]
No official public events
In Washington at 9 a.m. CT to testify before the House Oversight Committee on the city’s sanctuary status. Watch it here
No official public events
Have a tip, suggestion, birthday, new job or a complaint? Email [email protected]
— Trump administration puts several major Chicago federal buildings up for sale: “The properties listed for sale Tuesday include two iconic high-rise towers in the Loop: the Kluczynski and Metcalfe Federal Buildings,” by WBEZ’s Dan Mihalopoulos.
— Trump administration ends reimbursements for Illinois food programs: “USDA funds are part of nearly $2 billion being withheld from Illinois, Pritzker says,” by Capitol News’ Ben Szalinski.
— Trump order making English the U.S. official language worries advocates but not Illinois or Chicago schools: “The order, which was signed Saturday, will allow government agencies and organizations that receive federal funding to choose whether to continue to offer documents and services in languages other than English,” via The Associated Press.
— Lead Madigan prosecutor leaving U.S. attorney’s office after more than two decades, by the Sun-Times’ Jon Seidel
— OPINION: State Treasurer Mike Frerichs on tariffs: Illinois farmers of soybeans, corn, pork and specialty crops would be “among the first victims” of a trade war, via the Daily Herald.
— EXCLUSIVE: Mayor Johnson takes his message to Black Chicagoans about his seat on the 5th Floor of City Hall: “Those who used to have the power … are working hard to create chaos in order to distract our people. In other words, the Elon Musks of Chicago want the seat back, even if their name is not attached to it. They’ll put somebody here who will do their bidding,” he tells the Triibe’s Tiffany Walden.
— Chicago fur ban advances in City Council, furriers warn it would end their businesses: “Ald. Raymond Lopez, the ban’s author, hopes the move will stifle the ‘barbaric and inhumane’ fur industry, and said existing furriers need to evolve,” by the Tribune’s Jake Sheridan.
— Venezuelans in Chicago face Trump’s decision to end protected status: “Many intend to stay in the U.S. But uncertainty from losing the status is putting pressure on business owners and straining relationships,” by WBEZ’s Chip Mitchell and Adriana Cardona-Maguigad.
— Chicago landlord to pay $80,000 for threatening to call immigration agents on tenants, by the Sun-Times’ Cindy Hernandez
— Chicago Teachers Union pushes petition drive as strike threat looms, by WBEZ’s Sarah Karp
— Chicago is kicking off the search for its next schools chief, by Chalkbeat’s Mila Koumpilova
— Chicago’s most endangered buildings 2025: Delaware Building, Darrow Bridge and more, by Block Club’s Maxwell Evans
— Tiffany Henyard absent from Dolton Village Board meeting after primary defeat, by the Daily Southtown’s Olivia Stevens
— Mount Prospect mayoral candidates divided on Meadows-to-Melas pedestrian bridge, by the Daily Herald’s Steve Zalusky
— Exonerated after 24 years in prison, man sues Evanston police, saying they coerced murder confession, by the Tribune’s Richard Requena
— LET THEM EAT (CHEESE) CAKE: The 188th birthday celebration for the Chicago Water Tower Pumping Station saw Marc Schulman and Maureen Schulman of Eli’s Cheesecake drop by with dessert. Also spotted: Ald. Brian Hopkins, Deputy Mayor Kenya Merritt, 360 Chicago’s Nichole Benolken, City Club’s Dan Gibbons and Jacki Robinson-Ivy, Lookingglass Theatre Company’s Jamey Lundblad and Ida’s Artisan Ice Cream’s Ida Nelson. Pic!
— Energizer bunnies: The American Council of Engineering Companies of Illinois drew a crowd of more than 600 at its Engineering Excellence Awards the other day in Rosemont. Attendees included Congresswoman Delia Ramirez, state Sen. Don DeWitte, Ald. Gil Villegas, Deputy Gov. Bria Scudder, IDOT Secretary Gia Biagi, Illinois Tollway Director Cassaundra Rouse and Chicago Transportation Commissioner Tom Carney.
— Litesa Wallace, a business consultant and former state representative, has been honored with the Legacy High Tea’s inaugural “Dr. Litesa Wallace Legacy Recognition” award. The group named it in Wallace’s honor as she was the first Black woman elected official in Rockford.
We asked who you’d thank in your Oscar speech.
Carlton Hull: “God.”
Kevin Lampe: “Kitty Kurth.”
Gabrielle Lyon: “Every small and community-based movie theater in Illinois for keeping the lights on and all those old-school projectionists still running real film!”
Ed Mazur: “My kindergarten teacher, Ms. Kimball, who made me a reindeer in the Christmas pageant.”
Mariyana Spyropoulos: “My parents.”
Patricia Ann Watson: “My parents, my son, my elementary and high school teachers, and a few post secondary professors.”
Next question: In a sentence, what’s your take on community colleges offering four-year degrees? Email [email protected]
— Zelenskyy says it is ‘time to make things right’ after Oval Office blowup, by POLITICO’s Danny Nguyen
— Trump’s trade war is a brutal reality check, by POLITICO’s Victoria Guida
— No more town halls, NRCC chief tells House Republicans, by POLITICO’s Meredith Lee Hill
— Paul Kendrick is director of program strategy at Hope Chicago, a South and West Side college scholarship program for students and their parents. He was executive director of Rust Belt Rising for the past five years.
— Dorothy Briscoe, the mom of Chicago Ald. Walter Burnett Jr., has died. Details about services here
— Saturday: Chicago’s International Women’s Day March starts with a rally at Daley Plaza. Register here
— March 15 at 8 p.m.: Peter Cunningham, a Chicago communications consultant, takes the stage at the Hungry Brain in Chicago for his side gig: playing with the Bread and Butter Band.
TUESDAY’s ANSWER: Congrats to Andy Shaw for correctly answering that Easter eggs are a favorite pastime in Ukraine.
TODAY’s QUESTION: What prominent Illinois politician began his career as a bread salesman? Email [email protected]
Ald. Matt Martin, former state Rep. Jim Sacia, Calamos Investments CEO John Koudounis, Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation Legislative Liaison Marc Reiter, Civic Nation Chief Impact Officer Lauren Kidwell, Evanston Policy and Intergovernmental Affairs Manager Alison Leipsiger, lifestyle guru Wendy Pashman and dance therapist Joan Erenberg
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