Kansas City Mayor Laments Heightened Rhetoric, Calls for Unity

On Monday 16 June 2025, Quinton Lucas, Mayor of Kansas City, Missouri (USA), spoke at an IMPACT 20/20 event, a new series by the Miami University Luxembourg Foundation that presents renowned leaders and personalities impacting societies.

Mayor Lucas is currently on a tour of Europe, visiting a number of German cities, with Dusseldorf next on his schedule; last weekend he was in Metz (France) for an official twinning ceremony.

The hour-long event event was held at the Banque de Luxembourg in Luxembourg city centre and attracted around 30 participants.

Under the title "The new reality: Opportunities and challenges facing major US cities in today's changing political and economic climate!", Mayor Lucas presented his vision for his city and discussed the challenges and opportunities at local, state and federal levels in 2025.

Mayor Lucas spoke eloquently and confidently and thanked the university of Miami for producing athletes, entertainers and politicians and made a brief presentation.

He talked about challenges such as homelessness, saying that the answers lie in housing and public health. He said that we are in the start of a century in which we are looking for great men and women. He said that current leadership in the US and worldwide is divisive and we must find ways to stand up and fight. He stated: "We need outstanding international cooperation" and said that he saw this in the room today, having talked with some of the attendees beforehand.

He mentioned that being a truly international city has helped Kansas City secure six matches during the FIFA World Cup which presents a wonderful opportunity.

He said that he is a member of a political party that is far from organised (referring to a Mark Twain quote); he described the current moment as an interesting time of unification, in both parties. He referred to President Trump's recent social media posts being divisive; he also said that Democrats need to focus on messaging to build a stronger party; however, he recognised that the challenge is that Democrats from different states are approaching the issue with different ideals. He added that his view is that the Democrats need to unify and have a common voice.

Following the mayor's address, he participated in a Q&A. When asked about the weekend's politically-motivated shootings in Minnesota. He said that he gives more concern today to the heightened rhetoric that exists in the US. While he has police protection himself, his wife and family do not (like other politicians). He said that such incidents are often as a direct result of divisiveness and rhetoric today, and added that these incidents call for a leader who says "stop" and he said that he feels that the current administration does not offer that, citing previous Presidents such as Obama and Reagan, one Democrat and one Republican, as bringing people together.

When asked what is it like to be the mayor of a Democratic city in a "red state". He said that he "loves it". He said that the basics of not wanting war have been diluted over the decades since the two world wars, also Vietnam, etc., following which there were many with first-hand experience of major wars.

He decried the "travesty" of the use of AI by journalists in news these days, making it difficult to have challenging and diverse conversations.

On being asked about the #NoKings protests at the weekend, he said that the challenge is not that the Democrats have found a way to make a difference, rather "it is the people themselves", saying "we must do better, we can do better".

On the recent issues in trade tariffs and various people being detained and some refused entry to America, he said it is having a devastating effect on America's markets and America's education.

When asked about what President Trump is doing right, he said that he campaigns very well and is very accessible, by going to major sporting events across the country; he is exceptional at communication and rhetoric.

Asked about DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency), he decried the loss of high-level people across a range of expertise, from safe drinking water to education.

Chronicle.lu asked the Mayor: "What investors need is predictability: at the moment, America seems to be anything but predictable. Also, I understand that tourism numbers are down significantly. Getting seats on flights to America is now easier than anytime since the pandemic. How can these issues re rectified quickly before real damage is made? Will the economy be any different after the midterms?" In response, Mayor Lucas stated that here are a number of tests that are very important: the Big Beautiful Bill, with real debate in the US Senate and some Republican senators standing up, also the midterm elections will be very important; if the Democrats can regain control of the House of Representatives, it would slow the President's agenda.

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ED