Nearly one week after delivering a politically defiant and nationally attention-grabbing speech at home in Boston, and three weeks after a contentious hearing on “sanctuary cities” in Washington, D.C., Mayor Michelle Wu was back in the national spotlight Tuesday night with an appearance on “The Daily Show,” praising the city with familiar themes of safety and inclusiveness and a campaign-like hyperlocal focus and optimism. 

“We’re the safest city because we’re safe for everyone,” Wu said. “In a community where over a quarter of your residents we’re born in another country, if people are afraid to drop their kids off at school or call 911 when they need help or share information when they actually have information to report about a crime that happened, that makes everyone less safe…So we’re really focused on being that home for everyone.”

Wu, who is running for re-election for the first time since ascending to the mayoralty in 2021, has recently drawn the ire of the Trump administration for publicly defending Boston’s so-called “sanctuary city” policies, including in recent Capitol Hill testimony and in a fiery State of the City address.

The latter event drew direct criticism from the White House.

On Tuesday night, Wu tamped down on scrappy political rhetoric, opting instead for a locally-familiar diplomatic tone as she appeared alongside comedian and guest host Ronny Chieng, who spent most of the 15-minute segment prompting her to address the city’s reputation for racism.

“So, how did you become the mayor of Boston? You still didn’t answer,” Chieng said, turning to the audience while gesturing towards a laughing Wu. “I don’t know if you’ve been to Boston, but this is not the demographic for mayor of Boston,” he said, eventually adding that if Wu could become mayor of “one of, arguably, the most racist cities in America, then maybe there’s hope for everyone yet.”

Wu, who is Boston’s first elected woman and non-white mayor, replied:

“Next time you come to Boston, you’re gonna have to schedule an extra day. And then I will take you around all the city –”

“To get yelled at by racist white people,” Chieng interrupted to laughter.

“The Boston of today is a different city than a lot of people think,” Wu said towards the end of the interview. “But, even the Boston of today, we have a lot of work to do, just like every city, just like every community.”

The mayor’s remarks, a marked departure from her recent, firm and fiery political speeches, came a day after the Trump administration announced it had arrested 370 people accused of living in the Boston area without lawful status over the last week. Wu, through a statement, has called on the Trump administration to “release information on all individuals detained in order to ensure transparency.”

Wu was greeted with a standing ovation from the New York studio crowd.