As I walk across America, I see real heroes – and mayors who side with brutal tyrants

As I continue my walk across America from Atlanta to Alabama, I’ve met countless everyday heroes—hardworking parents, dedicated friends, and faithful community builders—who spend their lives supporting neighbors and restoring hope to forgotten neighborhoods. Their quiet sacrifices rarely make headlines, but they create real, lasting change. That is why I am deeply appalled by leaders in Chicago and across the country who seem far more willing to defend Nicolás Maduro, a ruthless dictator whose regime has tortured, starved and crushed his own people – rather than confronting the rampant violence, poverty and failing schools that are destroying far too many American communities.

Following President Donald Trump’s decisive action to oust Maduro, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson chose not to stand up for justice or human rights. Instead, he condemned the measure as an “illegal regime change abroad” and claimed it was “solely about oil and power.” He even linked it to the “dehumanization of migrants from Venezuela” by the “extreme right.” Since then, he has doubled down on multiple posts on X – as if defending a tyrant who has driven millions of people to flee their homelands is somehow compassionate.

As I continue this walk, my faith reminds me that God calls us to justice and truth, not to support tyrants or play politics with people’s lives.

Why would a mayor, without international authority, interfere in global affairs in this way? I understand that local government may not feel revolutionary enough. But supporting Maduro’s government – ​​with its documented record of torture and extrajudicial killings – is not solidarity. It sides with evil.

WALKING ACROSS AMERICA SHOWS ME WHY FAITH AND FREE THOUGHT CAN STILL WIN

Johnson is not alone. Left-wing mayors like Zohran Mamdani of New York and Karen Bass of Los Angeles reflect a troubling pattern, one that echoes anti-American narratives that prioritize ideological posturing over real suffering and crises in their own cities.

These mayors were elected to fix potholes, improve schools, and reduce crime—yet they spend invaluable time and energy condemning Trump while essentially giving dictators carte blanche. Don’t they care about the people in their own backyard? Or are they advancing an international agenda that undermines the American Dream here at home?

This distraction is painfully evident in Chicago, where our streets are plagued by violence and our children are stuck in underperforming schools. Still, the Chicago Teachers Union jumped into the fray. On

Their X-post urged people to join them at Federal Plaza in Chicago. The post was co-sponsored by groups such as the Anti-War Committee and the Party for Socialism and Liberation. Why is a teachers union, which should be focused on increasing literacy rates and preparing children for success, rooting for a regime that has crushed the freedoms of its own people? And why are taxpayers footing the bill?

It’s getting worse. I recently saw a post from the Freedom Foundation stating that the CTU was taking a trip to Venezuela to “visit government officials and teachers and visit communes.” I don’t even know what “tour communes” are, but what is the CTU doing in Venezuela and, again, why at taxpayer expense?

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This is not about peace. This is about ideology. When politics becomes a false religion, it breeds anger and division, and pulls us away from the faith and merit that build strong communities.

My walk is about reclaiming that foundation. Everywhere I go, I talk to Americans who believe in earning success through hard work, not handouts or excuses. Restoring merit means teaching trades, promoting entrepreneurship and instilling values ​​that lift people out of poverty – like the work being done at Project HOOD on Chicago’s South Side. Restoring merit means believing in America.

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At this point we have to be brutally honest. These mayors are not here to help us. Where is their progress? It’s not there. They don’t believe in America. They don’t believe in us, the Americans. The reality is that “We, the People” must lead. It’s up to us. We must be the change. We need to step outside our doors and talk to our neighbors and take steps to help, no matter how small they are.

As I continue this walk, my faith reminds me that God calls us to justice and truth, not to support tyrants or play politics with people’s lives. The American Dream is not about siding with dictators. It’s about creating opportunities for all, earned through merit and perseverance. It’s about believing in America.

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