CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker shared his reaction Thursday to Donald Trump again being elected president, and he gave assurances that he will continue to do everything in his power to protect the will of state residents.
Fielding questions from reporters in the West Loop, Pritzker said he was surprised by Tuesday’s results but added that he was prepared.
“Having fought through the headwinds of the first Trump administration, the General Assembly and I took proactive steps to plan for the potential of a second Trump presidency and protect our residents from the damage that it may attempt to cause,” he said.
The governor acknowledged that there are now Illinoisans who are worried about the impact that a second Trump presidency will have on their families, with their lives and livelihoods at risk.
Regarding those concerns, Pritzker pointed to several protections that have been baked into the state’s Constitution.
“Illinois will continue to be a refuge for those whose rights are being denied elsewhere: Women seeking reproductive health care; immigrants searching to work hard for a better life; LGBTQ Americans looking for welcome and protection; and people with disabilities, whose civil and human rights are under attack,” he said.
Pritzker was asked whether he’s worried about the Trump administration withholding federal grant funding due to the progressive policies in Illinois, including the state’s overall welcoming stance for undocumented immigrants.
"It would be illegal for the Trump administration to stop those grants from flowing, so we would take action if we saw that happen," he said.
Pritzker also shared with reporters memories from his childhood, such as stuffing political fliers into envelopes for his mother while his older brother and sister addressed and stamped them.
“We watched as Sue Pritzker organized political campaigns out of our living room, at a time when women weren’t even allowed to have credit cards without a male cosigner,” he said.
He said the memory of his own mother’s fight for women’s rights, gay rights and civil rights gave him an understanding: that the hope American women have for the country is not a new manifestation but an old inheritance.
“It has been nurtured and cared for over generations, passed down with the kind of persistence that you need to continue putting logs on a fire you may not get to see lit in your lifetime,” Pritzker said.
As for Vice President Kamala Harris’ bid for the Oval Office, Pritzker noted the short amount of time that she had to whip up a presidential campaign.
“She did an extraordinary job of making it as competitive as she could, but more time would’ve been better,” he said.
After Pritzker's press conference, the Illinois Republican Party issued its own statement and said the governor "might as well have announced his 2028 campaign for the presidency."
"Kamala Harris had the worst showing of any candidate in Illinois in more than 30 years, and Democrats in the legislature did not grow their advantage despite outspending Republicans by millions personally supplied by Pritzker," the statement read.
GOP officials wrote that Democrats have "become the party of wealthy elites."
"It's only fitting that they turn to another wealthy elite in 2028," they wrote. "Governor Pritzker should do us all a favor and start his campaign now. We'll be just fine without him."
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