(The Center Square) — Denver Mayor Mike Johnston gave the State of the City address Monday night, calling on the city to be the “capitol of the New West” even amid the “political crisis” of a Donald Trump presidency.

Johnston said that as political tensions escalate nationwide, the effects are beginning to hit home for many in the Mile High City.

“Amid this political chaos, global trade wars are driving up prices for Denverites and threatening to shutter our shops and restaurants,” he said. “Even the bedrock principles of our democracy — like birthright citizenship — are suddenly back on trial.”

In contrast to that, the Democratic mayor said Denver will “choose inclusion.”

“We want a city where everyone feels at home, where we grow strong and wiser and more connected because we embrace the difference of our stories, our beliefs, and our histories,” Johnston said. “That is our dream for Denver. That is our capital of the New West.”

In his speech, Johnston emphasized his continued prioritization of affordable housing, an end to homelessness and a revitalization of Denver’s downtown.

“We will continue to dream big and deliver big things and do so in a way that preserves and protects the identity of those neighborhoods and the people that built them,” he said.

Since Trump took office in January, Denver has joined Colorado as a Democratic stronghold standing against many of the president’s actions.

Most recently, Denver announced it was joining dozens of counties and cities throughout the country in suing the Trump administration over its “unlawful and unconstitutional threats” to withhold funding from so-called “sanctuary jurisdictions.” Those jurisdictions limit local enforcement of federal immigration law.

While not directly addressing that lawsuit, Johnston said in his speech that Denver will not abandon its values while America is a “country in crisis.”

“We face a federal administration that is cutting health care for the sick and food for the hungry. Banning books. Pulling people off the streets and sending them to prisons without lawyers or hearings,” he said. “Withholding money for terrorism prevention and wildfire response because Denver believes … that immigrants can help write the next great chapter of this city.”

Johnston applauded a number of successes from his first two years as mayor, “historic” successes that he said are helping make Denver “vibrant, affordable and safe.”

At the halfway point of his term, Johnson addressed homelessness, which he declared a state of emergency on the first day of his administration.

“We started there because it was a humanitarian crisis threatening the lives of people living on the streets, and it was an economic crisis threatening the city’s post-COVID recovery,” Johnston said. “Momentum is building.”

While Johnston pointed out that street homelessness in Denver has dropped by 45%, previous reporting from The Center Square found that the total number of homeless individuals, including those in shelters, continues to grow in the metro area.

Johnston also highlighted the city’s emphasis not on reducing the police force, as many other cities led by Democrats have done, but its efforts to increase it.

“We focused on putting more officers on the streets and are on-track to hire a total of 300 police officers during 2024 and 2025. We developed a comprehensive, multi-departmental approach to improve our streets and neighborhoods with the highest levels of crime,” he said. “It’s working. In 2025, Denver dropped our homicide rate by an astonishing 46%.”

Affordable housing has been another emphasis for the Johnston administration, which recently launched a middle class housing program.

Johnston said the key to continuing to increase housing and improve downtown will be to cut regulatory tape.

“To truly unlock downtown’s potential — and growth citywide — we had to fix one of the biggest bottlenecks: permitting,” he said. “We took a process that used to take three years and made a promise: Your permit will be done in 180 days, or we’ll refund up to $10,000 in fees.”

Yet there is much to be done, Johnston said.

“The state of our city is strong — and growing stronger every day,” he said. “The successes of the last two years show that these problems are solvable and we are the ones to solve them. And it makes clear our work is not done.”

He promised to continue to address homelessness, “aggressively move” the city toward clean energy and take steps to help Denverites feel even safer.

To meet some of those goals, Johnston said Denver voters will need to pass the 2025 bond projects, which are still under consideration by the City Council and subject to Johnston’s approval. These projects will be a priority for the city, he explained.

“Some people ask why a city would be making new capital investments in a moment of economic crisis. This is the critical moment to leverage public investment to spur economic growth as these investments create jobs and deliver critical infrastructure that accelerates more private investment,” he said. “This is the work that lies ahead in the next two years.”