Transcription: Illinois JB Pritzker governor in

The following is the transcription of an interview with the governor of Illinois, JB Pritzker, a Democrat, who was broadcast on “Fac The Nation with Margaret Brennan” on August 31, 2025.

Ed O’Keefe: Governor Pritzker, thanks for doing this and thanks for the tour. We appreciate it. I want to start with the fact that we have now learned that the Trump administration is preparing to launch what they call the main application of immigration here in Chicago in the next few days. The National Security Secretary suggested on Friday, quotes “I will use the as an example.” So that the combination of federal agents is deployed with the help of the National Guard troops, to protect them and federal properties. What is your response to those apparent plans?

Government. JB Pritzker: Well, they have been here before, ICE has, scaring the communities of the city of Chicago. Frankly, right here in Little Village, companies had to close, people had to stay at home, by the way, people who are US citizens, because they are afraid of being taken from the streets and disappeared by people who wore masks and throwing them to trucks. So, the people of Chicago know how they look and are prepared. We hope you do not send troops together with the ice, and if they do, they will be in court quite fast, because that is illegal. Posse commitatus does not allow US troops in US cities to do, you know, fight against crime, participate in the application of the law. That is not your work.

Ed O’Kefe: If they are doing a federal immigration job, a judge could say that if they protect those federal agents, that’s fine. I mean, will you fight that in court whenever you can?

Government. Pritzker: Well, the National Guard troops: any type of troops in the streets of an American city do not belong unless there is an insurrection, unless there really has an emergency. There is no.

Ed O’Keefe: Has it been informed by someone in the administration about these plans?

Government. Pritzker: No one in the administration, the president or no one under him, called anyone in my administration or me, has not called the city of Chicago or anyone else. So it is clear that, in secret, they are planning this, well, it is an invasion with US troops, yes, in fact, they do that. The other thing is that, you know, they should coordinate with the application of local law. They should let us know when they come, where they come, if it is ice or if it is ATF or whoever. But neither do they want to do that and I must say that it is harmful, it is dangerous. It tends to inflame passions on the ground when they do not let us know what their plans are, and when we cannot coordinate with them.

Ed O’Keefe: We are talking with National Secretary of National Security on Sunday. If she called you, how would you say? What is your message for her?

Government. Pritzker: Well, I would tell you that what you are doing is inflame passions and cause interruptions that do not need to be caused. We have people who have lived, yes in the state of Illinois and the city of Chicago for decades, working here, paying taxes. They are respectful members of the law of our communities, friends, neighbors and why are we arrested? Why are we making them disappear? In fact, they are even interrupting the lives of people who try to go through a legal process to stay in this country, who have been invited to an audience, and then arrest them in the halls on their way to that audience. So this is dangerous. They should not be doing it. It is anti -American. He is not American. And would I tell her what maybe he is checked for what she really believes?

Ed O’Kefe: It is also critical of the fact that Chicago is one of those cities that does not cooperate with federal immigration operations and that it was summoned by saying that Illinois, quotes, “refuses to support.”

Government. Pritzker: Well, that’s not true. In fact, there were police officers who made sure that no one interfered, attack or cause problems to the ICE officials who were here. People have the right to express themselves. People have the right to their first amendment, you know, the freedom to express and we also protect it in the city of Chicago. So it is not true that no one is supported. However, what we will not do is participate in what is a federal effort, that is, they have their work, immigration. We have our work, which is to fight against violent crime in the streets of our city and, by the way, we are succeeding in that work, but when they bring people and do not coordinate with us, they will cause enormous problems.

Ed O’Kefe: The President has had some things to say about the suction cup several times in recent days. “Then it should be Chicago.” “Chicago is a field of killing right now.” “Everyone knows that Chicago is hell at this time. They all know.” Your reaction?

Government. Pritzker: You know, wake up in the morning and whatever hits him is what he apparently says and recently, I suppose I have been living without rent in his head. Apparently, Chicago lives without rent in his head, although in other days he will talk about Baltimore, he will talk about New York. Note that it never talks about where the most violent crime occurs, found in red states. Illinois is not even in the lower half of the states in terms of violent crimes. In fact, we are in the best half of the states, but do you hear him talk about Florida, where is it now? No, you don’t hear it talk about that, or Texas. His violent crime rates are very worse in other places, and we are very proud of the work we have done. And we want more help. Do you know what kind of help we want? Application aid of the civil law. We would like ATF agents to help us get more weapons from the streets. We would like the FBI, again, to coordinate with our local police to help catch crime perpetrators. If they did that, we would welcome it. But that’s not what they plan to do. What they plan to do is send troops to the city of Chicago, not because they want to fight the crime, but because Donald Trump has other intentions.

Ed O’Keefe: So, then federal agents in Chicago in Chicago, helping the application of local law, would help dissuade crime at this time?

Government. Pritzker: Of course, do you want to help us catch the bad? Bring the FBI, bring the ATF. We already coordinate with them, by the way. We do a lot of work with them. We do something, we do drug interdiction, we fight against gangs, and yes, you know, the interdiction of weapons at the borders. I want to point out, by the way, what, if Donald Trump really wants to help us, what he would do is approve the universal background verifications for weapons. We have that in the state of Illinois, but no state around us has it. How to have it at the federal level? Because that would help keep weapons out of the streets.

Ed O’Kefe: and part of the reason I ask about the potential of federal deployments to help at this time is that, according to a News themezone data analysis of what happened in Washington, just in recent weeks, while the crime there was also inactive and in most cases two digits. It has decreased almost 50 percent in the three weeks since the National Guard moved. It has also dropped 41 percent, homicides decreased by 69 percent, the robbery decreased by 63 percent, and the mayor admits cars theft, which would become a major problem, 83 percent less than federal agents appeared. So, this type of deployment that is establishing in Washington, who says he wants to do in other cities, at least in Washington, is showing a potential success. And what I hear is, well, of course, if they appear, could it also help us?

Government. Pritzker: I am saying that we do not want troops in the streets of the American cities. That is not American and, frankly, the president of the United States should know better. This does not seem to do it. He has not read any book. It does not seem to understand the constitution or laws.

Ed O’Keefe: But if only sends to the FBI, the ATF, Dea–

Government. Pritzker: -Yes, it’s here –

Ed O’Kefe: – And sends more of them.

Government. Pritzker: Now we have some working with us. I would love more help. Do you know what else you are doing? It is cutting funds that help us fight the violent crime of the federal government.

Ed O’Kefe: Give me an example of how these cuts have affected the ability to combat crime in Chicago.

Government. Pritzker: Then, let me tell him what happened in Illinois when we had a republican governor and reduced the funds for programs that helped prevent crime. What happened was that we saw a significant increase in crime. When it cuts, for example, those programs that help to interdicate the crime, correct, that help give children summer work, etc. When you cut those programs, the crime goes up. Our Republican governor, who preceded me, did that and what do you know? The crime rose. Donald Trump is now doing the same. He is taking federal funds for those programs that are so important to us. We have increased financing at the state level, but we need that federal financing. It is on top of that. One more thing, the business community of the city of Chicago met and put $ 100 million to help us, in 2022, to help us fight crime through these prevention programs. It is working. The crime is low. I mean, the murders have dropped 50 percent in the city of Chicago and you can go through all statistics, almost everything is much better as a result of that work. Donald Trump is trying to remove that money. And he is not listening to the business community here. He is not listening to the clergy here. They are not listening to people on the ground, the Republicans here who understand that putting troops in the streets of the city of Chicago will cause more problems than he understands.

Ed O’Keefe: Have you called him to someone at the White House to say that there is no need to come?

Government. Pritzker: I think I have been publicly clear …

Ed O’Kefe: Well, one thing is to be clear for us, why not lift the phone?

Government. Pritzker: If you want to send troops, you should call. I have been very clear about what we would like to help. But, on the other hand, he is talking about sending troops. No one has literally called anyone from the White House. No one from the federal government has called anyone in our administration or in the city of Chicago. If they really wanted to help, they could call and say, what help do you need? I think I have been quite clear about what help we need. I do not know why they have not bothered to communicate if they have their own plans, but honestly, we would be happy to receive a call.

Ed O’Keefe: But you do not see the need to call yourself and say, what is all this? Is this what I would like?

Government. Pritzker: When we have an emergency and need the federal government to send troops, believe me, I will pick up the phone and call. That is not happening in Chicago today.

Ed O’Kefe: You know, there is another example of how you could respond to this, and there is no doubt that what is speaking is not precedents. But we have now seen another state, California, says that they will send state police teams to the main cities. It seems that it could be frustrating potential federal implementations. Is that something you would consider? Send Illinois State Police to the streets to help deter crime?

Government. Pritzker: We do that all the time. We have the Illinois State Police. I have the best state police in the country. And, in fact, they coordinate With the Chicago Police Department and the Police Departments from the entire Illinois state to do exactly that, to ensure that we are knocking out the crime. They have been very successful.

Ed O’Kefe: I wondered for a long time, his focus on Chicago, do you think it has something to do with the fact that in the past, it had a commercial relationship with your extended family in the hotel business? There was a conflict, for example, in New York about an Hyatt hotel. It has real estate, obviously, here in the city. I mean, could it be part of that? He mentioned, for example, last week, I am in the hotel business. Your family is in the hotel business. Is there any of that that can cause this?

Government. Pritzker: I don’t know, but I’m not in the hotel business. I am not committed to that and it was …

Ed o’k eefe: I said an extended family, of course.

Government. Pritzker: – A child. He was a child when he did any business at the time. So, all I can say is that, for some reason, he has in his head that he should attack the city of Chicago. We will not defend it.

Ed O’Kefe: What do you think will do to the country if that happens? The deployment in Washington, where it has federal control, is one thing, but if it sends military forces to a great American city, in a state that did not ask, beyond Los Angeles, what do Americans do with that?

Government. Pritzker: Well, they must understand that it has other objectives, in addition to fighting crime. That is the first thing they must understand. The second is that it is an attack against the American people of the president of the United States. Now, he may disagree with a state that did not vote for him. But should you be sending troops? No. And think about what you think about. He says he is sending troops to fight crime. Any of the red states that vote for him, voted for him, seeing troops in their states and yet have crime rates higher than the city of Chicago? No.

Ed O’Keefe: You said it has other goals. What are the other objectives?

Government. Pritzker: The other objectives are that he would like to stop the elections in 2026 or, frankly, take control of those elections. He will simply affirm that there is a problem with a choice, and then he has troops on the ground that can take control if, in fact, he is allowed to do this. We have sovereignty. There is a tenth amendment in the United States, and says that states have sovereignty. Our laws are supreme unless there is a federal law that replaces it. Our National Guard must be under the control of our governors. When the president calls the National Guard, in all my life, that has only been to enforce a federal law, in the case of 1965, as they know, that was done, or to send them, as is the case regularly, it happened under Biden, my life happened under each president, to send them abroad to fight for this country, because they are trained to go to war. They are trained to protect the country. They are not trained to make the police on the street.

Ed O’Keefe: I hear you talk about invasion, I hear you talk, I hear you talk about suspending the elections. Are you suggesting? Is it your belief that he is an authoritarian?

Government. Pritzker: Look, I can tell you this. I built a holocaust museum. I know what was the history of a Constitutional Republic that is revoked, after an election, in 53 days. And I am very, very worried. We could talk about many authoritarian regimes in the world, but that’s what I know. And I can tell you that the play book is the same. It is frustrated to the media, it is creating chaos that requires military interdiction. These are things that happen throughout history, and Donald Trump is only following that play book.

Ed O’Kefe: In weapons very fast, you have approved and signed a fairly significant firearms legislation here in Illinois. How does that legislation happen to prevent shootings from occurring in churches and schools?

Government. Pritzker: Well, we have prohibited assault weapons in the state of Illinois. We have prohibited blows of blows. We have banned switches that convert a regular gun into, essentially, an automatic weapon. These are all things that reduce the number of shootings. And by the way, guess what? The shootings decrease significantly in the city of Chicago and throughout the state of Illinois. And again, I believe that people who have the right to have a weapon should be able to obtain one, but who must have universal background verifications. You must make sure that you are not selling weapons that give someone the ability to commit a massive attack, in a school or anywhere else. But people have the right to protect themselves. There is a second amendment and I believe that.

Ed O’Kefe: You said you have some problems with the Illinois states, right?

Government. Pritzker: Well, yes. There is not a single state in Illinois that has universal background verifications. Do we not believe that we should ensure that people who buy weapons should have the right to own a weapon, and that we should not have people who have significant mental health problems or a history of serious crimes that should prevent them from having a weapon?

Ed O’Kefe: It seems that there is a division in his party on how to approach the president. Or struggles, do not cooperate, do not present yourself with meetings with him, or find ways to seek common land and do things in the name of your state. I think I know the answer to this, but where is it reduced how democrats should be involving the White House?

Government. Pritzker: I think I have been quite clear, from the beginning, that I know who Donald Trump is, I know what their goals are and they are not good for the American people. They are not good for the people of Illinois. And so, I have been facing Donald Trump, and I’m going to do everything possible to prevent them from taking away the rights of people and using the military to invade states. I think it is very important for everyone standing. I have asked people to go to the streets, use their megaphones and microphones, make sure they go to the polls to vote. That has been my attitude towards Donald Trump, and that is what I think people should be doing throughout the country.

However, Ed O’Kefe, the next Democratic presidential nominated, needs to campaign to promise that undoing everything he has done.

Government. Pritzker: Oh, I don’t know. I’m not thinking about that, that’s too far. Let’s talk about the 2026 elections.

Ed O’Kefe: You are running for re -election.

Government. Pritzker: I am running for re -election.

Ed O’Kefe: Can a voter enter the stand in Illinois knowing that he will fulfill a complete term if he is re -elected to a third mandate?

Government. Pritzker: I am in office now for six and a half years. I have completely dedicated myself to the state of Illinois, and I will always. I don’t know what the future holds. What I can tell him is that I am totally dedicated to maintaining the rights of people in the state of Illinois and making sure we protect them, especially a tyrant who has taken over the White House.

Ed O’Kefe: But are you planning to run for president at this time?

Government. Pritzker: My plan is to run for re -election as Governor of the State.

Ed O’Kefe, is it something you think at least?

Government. Pritzker: You know, I look around, we have a bank among the Democratic Party that is really excellent. It could point to the governors. It could point to senators. I think there are many good options. I can say that there, you know, there is no reason why we are not thinking about all those options and thinking about what the American people really want. What they want is to be able to go to the grocery store and pay things. They want to buy a house. They want to be able to get a good job, and those are things for which the Democrats fight. Republicans with tariffs, with the fight against the middle class by giving a massive tax cut to the richest, while eliminating Medicaid and food assistance, where clearly, Republicans are not on the side of average working people in the United States.

Ed O’Keefe: When we talk about the bank. Is it responsible, is it accurate to put yourself in that bank?

Government. Pritzker: What is accurate is that we have an excellent group of people who could be president of the United States, on the democratic side, and I am happy to be with them while we are against Donald Trump.

Ed O’Kefe: I am recognizing that they are trying to make us finish, so I have two more so they can calm down. One of the: when people begin to look at the future field and their name appears and is familiar with this, they go, well, yes, successful governor of the west medium, but it is a billionaire whose family earned their money in the hotels. Is it a guy who is a billionaire because his family earned money in hotels and other successful companies, the response to the future of the Democratic Party? Especially when the base of your group is as concerned about problems as income inequality and the rich that come out with it that the working class is not?

Government. Pritzker: You know, people asked that question when he postulated for governor in 2018, and I think what I have shown is, in the first place, I won by a significant margin, almost 16 percent in the state. Secondly, what I have shown is that he defends the workers already the most vulnerable in our society, that I am a true blue democrat who has been fighting for the rights of women, the rights of minorities, making sure that we are doing everything possible to keep the people of Illinois Segura. And I think that is why they re -elected me, also by two digits, and I hope to be re -elected again next year.

Ed O’Keefe: And in line with the result, is there any possibility that Illinois re -draws your congress lines before the middle of the period next year?

Government. Pritzker: that’s not something I want to do. It is not something that none of us wants to do. But I have to say that if Donald Trump is going to force his will to the American people going to their magic allies in several states and that they are drawn again in the mid -decade, when you are supposed to do it just after a census, with a year that ends in one, not a year that ends in five. If you are going to do that throughout the country, I think we all have to think about what we can do to counteract that.

Ed O’Keefe: What else, what else you could do, as Illinois Democrat? I mean, your map already gets a F of most good government groups for being Gerrymanded. Do you eliminate all Republican districts?

Government. Pritzker: We have had many very successful candidates in the state, and I can tell him this, that, it is possible to have more democratic districts in the state of Illinois, and we could do it. As I said, it’s not something I want to do, and I would like to stop here. I know that Texas is now signing this map by law, the governor of Texas. We know how much the country cares, at all. And now we will see it in California, probably. I hope you finish there. I should end there. And we should, you know, make a census in 2030 and a new map made in 2031.

Ed O’Keefe: Very well, we will finish it there. Thanks for taking time.

Government. Pritzker: Thank you, Ed, it’s good to see you.