Like other Democrat governors, including California's Gavin Newsom and Minnesota's Tim Walz, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has been dipping his toes into the water to test the wisdom of a possible 2028 presidential run.
The primary way he's done that has been to insert himself into the national conversation as often as possible, promoting himself as a key Resistance leader against the second Trump administration within days of Donald Trump's 2024 presidential election victory, vowing to fight him every step of the way.
In turn, Trump has shone a harsh spotlight on Illinois' crown jewel, Chicago, and the persistent crime problems that have plagued the Windy City in part due to its status as a sanctuary city and the fact that it is being run by woke Democrats. More recently, Trump declared that Chicago likely would be next on the list for a National Guard-assisted crime crackdown, prompting Pritzker to demand he stay out of the city.
READ MORE -->> Watch: Cameraman Wins the Day During Live Shot of JB Pritzker's Anti-Trump Presser
One pushback Pritzker has tried has been attempting to refute the idea that Chicago is a "hellhole" in need of federal assistance. He did this on Monday by posting a video he narrated, talking about how safe and beautiful Chicago supposedly was as he allegedly walked around in it, conveniently leaving some things out, including the fact that he has a 24-7 security detail:
Anyone who lives in Chicago knows full well that 6am on the lakefront is not where the car jackings and murders happen. The Governor knows this too. https://t.co/SqqF0tRMFR
— Matt Finn (@MattFinnFNC) August 25, 2025
Another thing he left out, of course, was the crime explosion that happened over the previous weekend:
Hey @JBPritzker, how about you visit some other areas of Chicago (without any sort of escort or protection) and tell us how safe and nice it is there instead of posting a video from a quiet park in a safe area.
— Leftism (@LeftismForU) August 25, 2025
This is just some of what happened over the past 24 hours or so. https://t.co/UfYAyHx8Uf pic.twitter.com/3p6YqRjHWG
But though Pritzker won't tell you that, Chicago's residents will, and so will the man with the biggest megaphone in America - Trump, which is what happened Thursday on Truth Social:
Governor Pritzker had 6 murders in Chicago this weekend. 20 people were shot. But he doesn’t want to ask me for help. Can this be possible? The people are desperate for me to STOP THE CRIME, something the Democrats aren’t capable of doing. STAY TUNED!!! President DJT
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 28, 2025
It's been interesting to watch these tugs of war play out nationally between the prospective 2028 Democrat presidential candidates and Trump. Though the governors may think they're winning hearts and minds with their tactics, I think ultimately it's going to end up backfiring on them. Because in wanting to tout their supposed strengths and accomplishments and TDS creds, it is giving Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Republicans a chance to nuke the talking points with some reality checks about who these people really are way ahead of time.
Editor’s Note: The Democrat Party has never been less popular as voters reject its globalist agenda.
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