Illinois Governor JB Pritzker responded sharply to President Donald Trump’s recent personal insults and threats to deploy National Guard troops to Chicago. The feud escalated after Trump commented on Pritzker’s weight, calling him a “slob” who should “spend more time in the gym” during remarks in the Oval Office on August 25, 2025. Pritzker fired back, saying, “It takes one to know one on the weight question,” noting that Trump himself is “not in good shape.” He further criticized Trump’s insults as immature, stating, “His personal attacks on me are just evidence of a guy who’s still living in fifth grade.”
The tension stems from Trump’s reported plan to send National Guard troops to Chicago to address crime, a move Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson strongly oppose. Trump has repeatedly called Chicago a “killing field” and criticized its leadership, despite data showing significant declines in violent crime. According to the Chicago Police Department, murders are down 31% and robberies down 33% in 2025 compared to 2024. Johnson also highlighted a 77.4% clearance rate for cases, the highest in over a decade, crediting increased resources for the police and mental health services.
Pritzker called Trump’s plan to deploy troops “illegal” and “unconstitutional,” vowing to take the administration to court if it proceeds. “It’s un-American to send troops into an American city the way he wants to fight crime,” Pritzker said while on a Chicago River water taxi. He emphasized that no federal officials had contacted Illinois about the deployment, adding, “Strangely, the president seems afraid of me and won’t call.”
Trump’s focus on Chicago aligns with his broader rhetoric targeting Democratic-led cities, despite national trends showing a 17% drop in homicides across 30 major U.S. cities in 2025, according to the Council on Criminal Justice. Pritzker and Johnson argue that Chicago’s improving crime statistics do not justify federal intervention.
The personal attacks are not new. Trump previously mocked Pritzker’s weight during a 2024 Ohio rally, claiming he was “too busy eating” to lead effectively. Meanwhile, Trump, at 79, has faced scrutiny over his own health, with reports of bruising and chronic venous insufficiency, though his physician attributes these to minor causes like handshaking and aspirin use.
This clash highlights deeper political divides, with Pritzker emerging as a vocal critic of Trump’s policies, particularly on immigration and crime. As the governor since 2019, Pritzker has been a prominent figure in the Democratic Party, even considered a potential vice-presidential pick for Kamala Harris in 2024. For now, the standoff continues, with Illinois leaders standing firm against what they see as an overreach of federal power.