Horrified ex-Obama advisor admits Chicago really IS a hellhole after encountering unresponsive elderly man who lazy 911 operator refused to help

By WILKO MARTÍNEZ-CACHERO, US REPORTER Published: 00:50, 2 July 2026 | Updated: 00:52, 2 July 2026 A former chief strategist and senior advisor to Barack Obama called out Democratic-run Chicago after an encounter with an unresponsive elderly man who a 911 operator allegedly refused to help. David Axelrod said he had just walked by the Art Institute of Chicago on Wednesday when he spotted the man, who he said was 'probably homeless,' passed out on the museum's front stone steps. Axelrod, 71, claimed he asked a security guard about the man, who told him she had woken him up three times and urged him to move into the shade. The presumably homeless man 'refused each time,' Axelrod wrote on X. After that, he called 911 for help, to which Axelrod alleged that the operator asked, 'Well, is he ASKING for help?' When Axelrod responded no, the 911 operator allegedly responded, 'Well I'm not going to send anyone.' 'So the man remained, passed out in the blazing noon sun,' Axelrod said. 'I guess that's how the City of Chicago deals with such situations.' He added: 'I hope we're not all complicit in assisting an unintended suicide.' Former Obama chief strategist and senior advisor David Axelrod, 71, lashed out at the city of Chicago while claiming that a 911 operator declined to help an unresponsive elderly man On Wednesday, Axelrod wrote on X the 'probably homeless' elderly man was 'sprawled unconscious' on the front stone steps of the Art Institute of Chicago (pictured) The Chicago Coalition to End Homelessness estimates that there are about 58,600 homeless people in the Windy City Axelrod, who worked on both of Obama's presidential campaigns and served as senior adviser from 2009 to 2011, mused that 'perhaps [he] should have tried to wake him to try and persuade him to move into the shade.' 'But I'm embarrassed to say I didn't,' Axelrod posted. 'I moved on, like many others who simply ignored him.' Axelrod tagged Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson, a Democrat, as well as the Chicago Police Department and the Art Institute of Chicago in his post. In a brief follow-up about 10 minutes later, Axelrod added: 'The real feel temp in Chicago right now is 107 degrees.' Chicago had a real feel temperature of 105 F during the day, according to AccuWeather. An extreme heat warning has been issued in the Windy City from Monday until midnight Friday, per the National Weather Service. Authorities said that the conditions could be dangerous for the elderly and anyone with preexisting conditions. In addition to having worked on both of Obama's presidential campaigns, Axelrod also served as the former President's senior adviser from 2009 to 2011 (Both pictured in March 2009) Axelrod claimed the real feel temperature in Chicago was 107 F at the time he documented his encounter with the sprawled out elderly man The National Weather Service has issued an extreme heat warning until midnight Friday in Chicago. The advisory started on Monday Shortly afterwards, Axelrod posted a quote attributed to Theodore Roosevelt, though it was unclear if it was connected to the incident by the art institute. 'Patriotism means to stand by the country,' he wrote, quoting Roosevelt. 'It does not mean to stand by the President or any other public official save exactly to the degree in which HE stands by the country.' There are about 58,600 homeless people in Chicago, according to the Chicago Coalition to End Homelessness. As a whole, Chicago has a population of roughly 2.7million people, per the US Census Bureau. The Democratic-run city has been in the Trump administration's crosshairs, as the President has repeatedly criticized its leadership. Last year, President Trump said that his administration would be 'going into Chicago very soon,' as he commented on Illinois' Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker. 'That's a big city with an incompetent governor,' Trump said in September while speaking at at Marine Corps Base Quantico. 'Stupid governor.' Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, who has also been criticized by the Trump administration, was among those tagged in Axelrod's post on X about the elderly man In December, Trump wrote on Truth Social that Chicago and other blue cities would have been 'GONE if it weren't for the Federal Government stepping in' That same month, Trump posted a post on Truth Social with a graphic of him and the words 'Chipocalypse Now.' In the picture, Trump was 'wearing' a cowboy hat while explosions and military helicopters appeared behind him. Trump's Truth Social post read: 'Chicago about to find out why it's called the Department of WAR.' Trump ended up deploying hundreds of National Guard troops to the area, but they were unable to do much due to legal challenges. In December, the President said on Truth Social that he would be removing the troops 'despite the fact that CRIME has been greatly reduced by having these great Patriots in those cities, and ONLY by that fact.' 'Portland, Los Angeles, and Chicago were GONE if it weren't for the Federal Government stepping in,' Trump wrote. Trump's decision came after the Supreme Court barred his administration from sending National Guard troops to Chicago and other blue cities. In late May, Trump again took aim at Johnson after the latter met with Pope Leo XIV. 'Someone should explain to the Pope that the Mayor of Chicago is useless, and that Iran cannot have a Nuclear Weapon!' the President said on Truth Social. The Daily Mail has reached out to Axelrod, the Chicago Police Department, the Chicago mayor's office and the Art Institute of Chicago for further comment. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. 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