Illinois Governor JB Pritzker is openly challenging what he calls President Donald Trump’s “authoritarian behavior,” after the President publicly demanded that both Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson be jailed.
In a fiery Truth Social post, Trump wrote, “Chicago Mayor should be in jail for failing to protect ICE officers! Governor Pritzker also!” The post came shortly after Trump ordered 200 members of the Texas National Guard to march into Illinois. The troops, according to the order, will remain in the state for 60 days despite resistance from Illinois state officials.
The move sparked outrage in Illinois, where both the governor and local leaders say the deployment is unconstitutional. Pritzker and state attorneys have already filed a lawsuit against the federal government, arguing that the President has no right to send troops into the state without consent.
Governor Pritzker has not held back in his criticism. Speaking on Monday, he described the deployment as “an invasion” and accused Trump of intentionally spreading fear and confusion. He claimed the President was “using chaos as a political weapon” and “following an authoritarian playbook.”
On social media, Pritzker doubled down, writing on X (formerly Twitter), “I will not back down. The President of the United States is now calling for elected officials to be arrested. What else is left on the road to full-blown authoritarianism?”
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, who was also targeted by Trump’s comments, spoke out in an interview with CNN. He described the President as “unstable” and “unhinged,” pointing to what he called Trump’s history of racially charged decisions. “He once tried to unjustly arrest a Black man just to make a point,” Johnson said. “I’m not going anywhere.”
The confrontation between Trump and Illinois leaders has been escalating for weeks. Both Pritzker and Johnson claim that the President is deliberately stirring unrest in the city so he can justify the use of federal force.
During his Monday press conference, Pritzker warned that Trump’s tactics are part of a larger strategy. “He’s not just reacting to events — he’s creating them,” the governor said. “He’s making peaceful protests look like riots by sending troops and using gas pellets and tear gas against citizens.”
The Trump administration, however, insists that the deployment is necessary to “protect federal officers and restore order” in what it describes as a crime-ridden city.
Critics argue that those claims don’t hold up against real data. According to official reports, Chicago’s crime rate has actually gone down significantly in the past year — a direct contradiction to Trump’s repeated portrayal of the city as being overrun by violence.
The dispute has now become both a legal and political showdown. On one side, Trump maintains that his actions are about safety and law enforcement. On the other, Illinois officials say it’s a dangerous abuse of presidential power that undermines state rights.
For many Americans watching the situation unfold, it’s a troubling reminder of how deep the political divide has become — and how far both sides are willing to go to defend their version of the truth.
