Clarence Page

Clarence Page is a syndicated columnist and a former member of the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board. Among other awards, he won the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary (1989) and lifetime achievement awards from Chicago Headline Club, National Society of Newspaper Columnists, National Press Foundation and National Association of Black Journalists.

Chicago police officers keep watch aboard a CTA Green Line train from Austin to downtown on March 31, 2025. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)

Clarence Page: Let’s take advantage of the crime downturn to learn what’s gone right

May 4, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

Amid all the executive orders, will the president and his MAGA movement notice the good news happening in Chicago and other big cities?

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin thanks neighbors and friends from the backyard of his Springfield home where he’s lived since 1978 after announcing he won’t seek reelection when his fifth term ends, April 24, 2025. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

Clarence Page: Sen. Dick Durbin’s departure stirs a scramble amid a new generation

April 27, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

As President Donald Trump’s polling takes a tumble 100 days into his second term — and Illinois' Dick Durbin, the Senate’s second-ranking Democrat, announces his retirement, a very old hit...

In this photo provided by U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen's office, Van Hollen, D-Md., meets with Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, left, at an undisclosed location on April 17, 2025, in San Salvador, El Salvador. (Sen. Van Hollen's Office)

Clarence Page: Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown enters the Twilight Zone

April 20, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

The Trump administration has admitted to an “administrative error” in Abrego Garcia's case, yet it also says it does not have the authority to secure his return.

The National Museum of African American History and Culture on the National Mall is seen on March 28, 2025, in Washington. Trump has called for reshaping the Smithsonian into a “symbol of inspiration and American greatness.” (Mark Schiefelbein/AP)

Clarence Page: Trump and Vance raise puzzling question at the Smithsonian. What’s ‘improper ideology’?

April 13, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

In his executive order, Trump called for reshaping the Smithsonian into a “symbol of inspiration and American greatness.”

Clarence Page: In Wisconsin, Elon Musk turned fame and wealth into votes but not victory

April 6, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

Elon Musk's defeat in Wisconsin last Tuesday night was a new sign of energy on the political left.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth prepares to give a television interview outside the White House on March 21, 2025. (Mark Schiefelbein/AP)

Clarence Page: Signalgate reveals Donald Trump’s backward-looking military view

March 30, 2025 at 9:05 p.m.

A hard-won Senate confirmation was not enough to keep the aroma of scandal away from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth for long.

President Donald Trump meets with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., on March 13, 2025. (Doug Mills/The New York Times)

Clarence Page: President Donald Trump loves free speech, as long as it’s his

March 24, 2025 at 8:28 a.m.

Donald Trump has left little doubt that he will continue to wage legal and oratorical warfare against freedoms of the press and speech.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer declines to answer questions from reporters after a Senate Democratic luncheon on Capitol Hill in Washington on March 13, 2025. (Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times)

Clarence Page: Donald Trump’s labeling dilemma

March 17, 2025 at 8:23 a.m.

Instead of focusing on the budget and taxes, Donald Trump once again veered into questioning Chuck Schumer's very identity.

U.S. Rep. Nydia Velázquez holds a protest sign with fellow Democrats as President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the Capitol on March 4, 2025, in Washington. (Win McNamee/Getty)

Clarence Page: Let facts get in the way of performative politics

March 9, 2025 at 12:32 p.m.

If congressional Democrats are going to embrace performative politics, they should be sure to give a good performance.

The U.S. Supreme Court Building is seen on Capitol Hill on Feb. 27, 2025, in Washington. The Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case of Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services, which has drawn attention since it could redefine how discrimination claims of all types are handled under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. (Rod Lamkey Jr./AP)

Clarence Page: Don’t let ‘reverse discrimination’ reverse our national progress

March 9, 2025 at 12:02 p.m.

There’s nothing simple about our racial, gender and other conflicts, but finding solutions together can work, if we can build faith in each other.

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