CHICAGO — Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Sunday blasted unsubstantiated social media chatter as “homophobic, racist and misogynistic rumors” and indicated she is not resigning.
“I will continue to lead a group of the willing all across our city who are about doing the people’s work,” Lightfoot said through her political account. “The people of Chicago elected me mayor, and I will continue to serve today, tomorrow and into the future. Back to work.”
Lightfoot, who has been trending on Twitter since Saturday night, posted five tweets around 10:30 a.m. Sunday.
“It’s shocking and disappointing to see some media members and verified Twitter handles are peddling this trash as truth,” Lightfoot said. “If people hadn’t noticed, we have major challenges in Chicago we need to address TOGETHER. This nonsense that some apparently have the luxury of indulging in has not fed one person, stopped the pandemic, housed anyone living on the street or saved one young person.”
On Saturday, Activist Ja’Mal Green, a frequent Lightfoot critic, posted — and then deleted — a tweet saying Lightfoot was going to resign. On Sunday, Green tweeted that he was “sorry” he helped spread the rumor that she was resigning.
Green launched a long-shot bid for mayor ahead of the 2019 election, but dropped out after businessman Willie Wilson challenged the signatures on his candidacy paperwork, saying the dispute drained his resources. Green went on to endorse Lightfoot over Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle in the mayoral election.