Eric Trump, executive vice president of Trump Organization Inc., speaks during the Republican National Convention at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020.
Following violent demonstrations and civil unrest this summer in downtown Chicago, Eric Trump, the president's son, texted Mayor Lori Lightfoot twice, thanking her for protecting Trump Tower.
In a social media post Saturday, the mayor acknowledged the texts, calling them a "departure" from the normal comments made by President Donald Trump about the city of Chicago.
The texts were released via a Freedom of Information Act request made by multiple media outlets, including the Chicago Tribune and NBC Chicago.
The president’s son sent text messages to Lightfoot on two different occasions, more recently on July 24.
“Mrs. Mayor – know that I have been thinking about you. I still appreciate the call you made to me, which was a class act,” Trump said. “I only imagine how difficult the situation is but know we are all rooting for Chicago. I hope you are well.”
Trump also sent a text to Lightfoot in June, saying he “appreciated” her call during a day where looting took place after peaceful protests earlier in the day.
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“It was incredibly kind,” Trump said. “I have passed along your support to our team and residences. Please know I and we truly appreciate you.”
Lightfoot initially referenced the texts during an MSNBC interview in August after President Trump made an issue of her decision to raise downtown bridges following a second round of looting, the newspaper reported.
At a campaign event, the president said Lightfoot "literally raised up the drawbridges to prevent hordes of rioters from ransacking the city.”
The mayor said, in response, “One of the bridges we put up is near Trump Tower because our protesters and vigilantes would love nothing more than to attack Trump Tower.”
“So those little notes that I get from Eric Trump after every time that we’ve protected that property, if they want us to stop, say the word,” Lightfoot stated.
In an exclusive interview with NBC 5 on Aug. 18, the mayor detailed measures in place to protect downtown, including the area near Trump Tower.
"Trump Tower is clearly a target. But it's not just Trump Tower," the mayor said then. "It's making sure that we have the ability to shrink the footprint, less to protect from a policing standpoint, and we give our officers the ability to protect the peaceful protesters that are coming downtown."
Eric Trump texted Lightfoot twice during the course of the summer – first on June 1 following a weekend of unrest, looting and chaos in the city stemming from the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
“Eric Trump, the executive vice president of the Trump Organization, was one of the people the Mayor reached to provide an update on precautionary public safety efforts the City was taking in the Central Business District, and to advise that the City would not bear sustained costs associated with Trump Tower. Subsequently, Eric Trump sent the Mayor two text messages to which the Mayor did not respond,” the statement read.
The mayor, a vocal critic of the president's, has been frequently targeted by President Trump, particularly when it comes to Chicago violence.
