During a press conference following Wednesday's City Council meeting, Mayor Rahm Emanuel threw his support behind a proposed ordinance to remove a street sign on Chicago's Wabash Ave. that honors Trump Tower, a neighboring building owned by Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.
"We'll put the sign back up when he releases his tax returns," Emanuel said.
Emanuel, who supports Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, noted that he thinks Trump is "wrong for America," criticizing the billionaire's proposal to use stop-and-frisk tactics to fight crime in Chicago.
"Don't just take his sign down," the mayor said. "Let's make sure we mobilize and get out and vote because this is a very important and big election."
The measure to remove the sign was proposed by Ald. Brendan Reilly, who said Wednesday that he thinks the sign should be removed within a month.
Reilly said he and his colleagues have been talking about Trump's offensive comments for months, but called the Republican's performance at last week's debate the last straw. During the debate, Trump once again called for stop-and-frisk tactics in the city as part of his tough on crime agenda.
"It was actually Donald Trump who decided to make Chicago a part of his campaign," Reilly said. "Had he not, we probably wouldn't be talking about this right now."
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"His divisive comments about various segments of Chicago society, whether you're Latino or another minority, an immigrant, a woman, that in and of itself is offensive," Reilly added. "But his decision to drag us into this campaign and mischaracterize and paint a very distorted caricature of Chicago is a mistake and we reserve these honorary street signs for special Chicagoans who have lifted up this city and move us forward."
Both Reilly and Emanuel have received campaign contributions from Trump in the past. Reilly received $500 from Trump Hotel & Casino Resorts Holdings in 2008 and $5,000 from Trump in 2010. Additonally, Emanuel received $50,000 from the real estate magnate in 2010. Trump Tower was completed in 2009.
Reilly told reporters Wednesday that he will send the contributions back to Trump along with the honorary street sign as soon as the campaign is over.
