Mayor Cherelle Parker reacted to the city’s recent legal win against the federal government in a video Tuesday, issuing a rare, albeit indirect, critique of the Trump administration.
In a recorded statement posted to X, formerly Twitter, Parker praised the court’s decision to grant a preliminary injunction that requires federal officials to restore the exhibit on slavery at the President’s House at Independence National Historical Park, pending further litigation. U.S. District Judge Cynthia Rufe wrote in a 40-page decision released Monday that the displays, which federal parks workers stripped from the site on Jan. 22, must be returned unaltered.
RELATED: Slavery exhibit at President’s House must be restored by Trump administration, judge orders
Parker referenced the decision in her video, thanking Rufe for acknowledging the city’s right to “mutual agreement” with the National Parks Service regarding changes to the exhibit. She also directly quoted the judge’s assertion that a federal agency “cannot arbitrarily decide what is true, based on its own whims.”
Toward the end of the video, the mayor linked the city’s pride to its acknowledgement of “all of our history and all of our truth, no matter how painful it may be.”
“We will not allow anyone to erase our history,” said Parker, who wore sweatshirt with the name of her alma mater, Lincoln University, in the clip.
My response to the federal court’s decision granting the City relief in our lawsuit regarding the President’s House historic site.
We will not allow anyone to erase our history.
Not on our watch.#PresidentsHouse pic.twitter.com/TnTFfASuMU
— Mayor Cherelle L. Parker (@PhillyMayor) February 17, 2026
The mayor did not name the president in her message, but her comments and lawsuit are some of her most direct actions yet against the Trump administration. While the Democratic mayors of some cities have sharply criticized the federal government since Donald Trump resumed office, Parker has largely stayed silent. As the president threatened sanctuary cities, she even stepped away from the label, branding Philadelphia a “welcoming city” instead.
Throughout the Trump administration’s pressure campaign against the University of Pennsylvania, Parker also avoided joining the conflict as the federal government cut off hundreds of millions in research funding and threatened to revoke student visas and the immigration statuses of some college employees. Parker has a master’s degree in public administration from Penn, and the university is the largest private employer in Philadelphia.
The President’s House exhibit tells the stories of nine enslaved people, brought to Philadelphia by President George Washington. It was removed following a federal review of signage at public parks and monuments for “divisive narratives.”
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