President Trump said Chicago prosecutors’ decision to drop charges against Empire actor Jussie Smollett was an “embarrassment” for the United States during a rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan. “MAGA country. You heard the other day? How about in Chicago? He said he was attacked by MAGA country—you ever hear of that one?” Trump said Thursday night, referencing Smollett’s claims that his attackers yelled “MAGA country” during the incident in late January. “Maybe the only time I’ve ever agreed with the mayor of Chicago, maybe. That’s a terrible situation. That’s an embarrassment not only to Chicago. That is an embarrassment to our country, what took place there. Remember that.” Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel called the decision to drop Smollett’s charges “a whitewash of justice,” and the city subsequently demanded Smollett’s lawyers pay $130,000 to cover the costs of the investigation into the actor’s allegedly fake police report. Smollett was initially charged with 16 counts of disorderly conduct after he allegedly paid $3,500 for two brothers to attack him and yell racial slurs at him in late January.
