Pritzker Not Backing Down After Trump's Threat To Arrest Him

The president is threatening to jail Democratic leaders again.
Pritzker Not Backing Down After Trump's Threat To Arrest Him
Credit: Gage Skidmore/Flickr/CC/license 2.0.
By Conover Kennard — October 8, 2025

One day after the Texas National Guard arrived in Chicago, Donald J. Trump took to Truth Social, writing that Democratic Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson should be jailed.

"Chicago Mayor should be in jail for failing to protect Ice Officers! Governor Pritzker also!," Trump wrote.

The president has argued that troops are needed solely in Democratic cities to counter what he deemed to be violent protests against ICE. But the violence seems to be stemming from ICE agents.

Pritzker took to the Bad App to say that he is not backing down.

The governor further wrote that, "His masked agents already are grabbing people off the street," adding, 'Separating children from their parents. Creating fear. Taking people for “how they look.”'

"Making people feel they need to carry citizenship papers," he continued. "Invading our state with military troops. Sending in war helicopters in the middle of the night. Arresting elected officials asking questions."

"We must all stand up and speak out," he added.

Pritzker has stated that Trump is attempting to "manufacture a crisis," and he subsequently filed a legal case similar to that of Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom. Pritzker has also suggested that Trump’s deployment was intended to familiarize voters with the idea of military presence in Democratic cities ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

Donald Trump’s threats to jail Governor Pritzker and Mayor Johnson are what autocrats do — not American presidents.
In America, we uphold the rule of law. We don’t imprison our political opponents — we defend democracy. And I’ll keep fighting to make sure we always do.

— Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (@congressmanraja.bsky.social) 2025-10-08T15:24:14.975Z

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