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.

Zohran Mamdani supporters cheer election results as his victory is announced at a Democratic Socialists of America watch party at Brooklyn Masonic Hall in Brooklyn, June 24, 2025. (Victor J. Blue/The New York Times)

Clarence Page: New York’s mayoral race could be a testing ground for a Democratic comeback

June 29, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

Among the many postmortem conclusions in Democratic ranks is the sense that it's time for the party’s old guard to step aside for a new generation.

President Donald Trump walks out of the Oval Office before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House on June 20, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty)

Clarence Page: Did you miss a national holiday, Mr. President?

June 20, 2025 at 6:56 p.m.

Juneteenth came and went Thursday, but curiously something seemed to be missing from the annual celebration: a cordial salute from the president of the United States.

U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., is pushed out of the room as Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem holds a news conference regarding the recent protests in Los Angeles on June 12, 2025. (Etienne Laurent/AP)

Clarence Page: When the president’s peacemaking efforts invite more chaos

June 15, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

We need to give peace a chance. But peace is not what Donald Trump and Kristi Noem have in mind for the blue states and blue cities of America.

President Donald Trump, right, during a news conference with Elon Musk in the Oval Office of the White House on May 30, 2025, in Washington. (Evan Vucci/AP)

Clarence Page: Big, beautiful bromance breaks up — live on social media

June 8, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

By Thursday afternoon, White House staff were calling fracas as “the one big, beautiful breakup,” a reference to the legislation that ignited Musk’s fury.

Students from University of Illinois Chicago protest against President Donald Trump during a rally in Chicago’s Federal Plaza, May 2, 2025. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)

Clarence Page: Hey, men, Democrats want your votes. They really do.

June 1, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

The decline of men and concomitant rise of women in Democratic voting ranks has been observed for decades and is not expected to change drastically soon.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, left, and President Donald Trump exchange words during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House on May 21, 2025, in Washington. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty)

Clarence Page: President Donald Trump’s grudge against South Africa is based on racist fiction

May 26, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

Our president is solidifying his image as a global leader of white identity politics.

Afrikaner refugees from South Africa arrive May 12, 2025, at Dulles International Airport in Dulles, Virginia. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP)

Clarence Page: Donald Trump embraces South Africans — the white ones

May 18, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

In the coming week, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is scheduled to meet Trump at the White House. They have much to discuss.

Americans from Texas including Cole Wendling, center, celebrate after the newly elected pontiff, Pope Leo XIV, was announced on May 8, 2025, in Vatican City. (Mario Tama/Getty)

Clarence Page: Pope Leo XIV seems well loved — but for how long?

May 11, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

The more I have learned about Robert Prevost, the more I am reminded of what people in Chicago neighborhoods call a “reg’lar guy.”

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 on April 24, 2025, 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. (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...

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