As Democrats struggle with an elusive Rubik’s cube of possibilities on how to neutralize Donald J. Trump, tough-talking billionaire Gov. JB Pritzker (D-IL) appears to be positioning himself as the president’s loudest critic and the alternative to the MAGA movement in 2028.
Pritzker has used recent appearances to launch what Republican critics say is nothing more than a greatest hits list of tired, false attacks on the president, such as:
Trump is an authoritarian.
Trump “hates” the military.
Trump is “disparaging the very foundation of Judaism.”
The slams first came during a speech in New Hampshire last week.
They continued in an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live:
In a State of the State address in February, Pritzker even evoked the specter of Adolph Hitler, saying Trump has set the kind of tone that created Nazi Germany.
Pritzker is Jewish. His family owns the Hyatt hotel chain. Pritzker also is a venture capitalist.
With his fortune, his square stature, and pug face, the governor presents as the kind of two-fisted tough guy some believe they need to win back the working-man vote. And he exaggerates.
In short, he’s the Democrat version of Trump.
One Democrat leader called Pritzker’s criticism and possibility of running in 2028 a “one-two punch.”
Ray Buckley, chair of the New Hampshire Democratic Party, told the Hill, “He not only takes on Trump, he also lays out an effective message that we support our values, we stand up for our values, that we speak for those who need a voice, we don’t leave anybody behind.”
However, supporters of the president say Pritzker is gaslighting voters with falsehoods and his approach could lead to violence.
Illinois GOP Chair Kathy Salvi in a statement described the governor’s remarks as “inflammatory and dangerous speech.”
Top Trump aide Stephen Miller told reporters at the White House last week that Pritzker’s comments “if nothing else, could be construed as inciting violence … people are engaging in rhetoric and behavior that puts the lives of public servants in danger, puts the lives of conservative Americans in danger.”
Donald Trump, Jr., the president’s son, got right to the point in an X post to Pritzker, asking, “Are you trying to inspire a 3rd assassination attempt on my dad? Two wasn’t enough for you?”
Pritzker’s campaign also recently rolled out a video claiming to show how the Trump administration has negatively impacted Illinois residents. It features a young man who was set to take a national security job that was rescinded by Trump and DOGE cuts:
With buzz that Pritzker could be a factor in the next presidential race, Trump appeared to be taking steps to neutralize the governor as far back as 2025, employing trademark Trump mockery.
Trump has not come up with a nickname for Pritzker but has attacked his weight. Trump said in a campaign stop last year that Pritzker was too busy eating hamburgers to lead the state.
“He wants to eat all the time,” he said, to laughs from the rally crowd.
Pritzker appeared to be trying to get ahead of a nickname, coming up with a few of his own in his appearance with ardent anti-Trumper Jimmy Kimmel.
“One is of course JBurger … because he did talk about me eating burgers,” Pritzker said. “Or this is my favorite, JBeefy.”
Some argue Pritzker is dialing into a rhetoric that clearly resonates with Democrats across the current political environment, according to a feature on Pritzker in the Hill.
“He’s meeting the Democratic base where it is,” said Alex Conant, a Republican strategist who worked on Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s 2016 presidential campaign.
That poses a question for some analysts. Can Pritzker’s attacks on Trump that curry favor with the base eventually translate into a popular vote in a general election? Recent polls have shown the popularity of the Democrat party is at a historical low.
Hyperactive attacks leveled against Trump by the media have been relentless through three presidential elections.
Yet, he has won two of them.
Lowell Cauffiel covered national politics for the Detroit News and is the best-selling author of Below the Line and nine other crime novels and nonfiction titles. See lowellcauffiel.com for more
