WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump said on Monday Afghanistan is a "safe place by comparison" to US city Chicago.
Mr Trump said: "It's embarrassing to us as a nation. All over the world they're talking about Chicago. Afghanistan is a safe place by comparison,” Trump said at a conference of police chiefs in the city.
Trump has frequently criticized Chicago for its crime problems and status as a sanctuary city, one of scores of cities around the country that refuse to work with federal authorities to round up people who are living in the US illegally.
In his speech, Trump also lashed out at police superintendent of the city, Eddie Johnson, who angered Chicago's police by skipping Trump's first appearance in the city as president.
"More than anyone else he should be here, because maybe he could maybe learn something," Mr Trump said, claiming Johnson puts the needs of illegal immigrants above the needs of the law-abiding residents of Chicago.
"Those are his values and frankly those values to me are a disgrace," Trump said, vowing to never give priority to the needs of illegal immigrants. "I want Eddie Johnson to change his values and to change them fast." (1TV News)