Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has a playbook for fighting back against the Trump administration, and he says it’s working. Few Democratic politicians have leaned into the fight against the Trump administration as aggressively as he has. While some blue-state leaders have tried to find a lane of compromise or quiet resistance, Pritzker has gone the other direction: signing laws to limit ICE operations in Illinois, creating an accountability commission staffed by retired federal judges, suing the federal government, and successfully blocking the deployment of federalized National Guard troops on Chicago’s streets.
Pritzker is a unique figure in Democratic politics. A billionaire heir to the Hyatt hotel fortune, he has spent tens of millions of his own dollars to push for a more progressive income tax in Illinois and has advocated for a national wealth tax — policies that would directly cost him money. He’s also a Jewish Democrat who has navigated his party’s shifting positions on Israel and Gaza and a two-term governor who has drawn some public support as a potential 2028 presidential candidate.
This week on Today, Explained, Vox’s Astead Herndon travels to Chicago to meet with Pritzker and talk about his playbook for fighting back against the Trump administration.
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