Illinois Governor JB Pritzker recently released a humorous campaign video taking a jab at former President Donald Trump. In the minute-long clip shared on social media, Pritzker jokingly announced that Lake Michigan would now be called “Lake Illinois” and that Illinois would annex Green Bay.
With a serious tone, Pritzker stated that “experts” had determined that a great lake should be named after a great state. He went on to declare that the name change had been sent to Google so that maps worldwide would reflect the update. This was a playful reference to Trump’s previous statement about renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.”
Pritzker also took inspiration from Trump’s past comments about wanting to buy Greenland or make Canada the 51st state. In a sarcastic twist, he claimed that Illinois was annexing Green Bay to protect itself from “enemies, foreign and domestic.” He then teased another major announcement about the Mississippi River coming next week. To cap off the video, Pritzker made a nod to the long-standing football rivalry between the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers, signing off with, “God bless America, and Bear down.”
The billionaire governor and well-known Democratic donor has become a leading critic of Trump. Many speculate that he is preparing for a presidential run in 2028.
The Illinois Republican Party responded to Pritzker’s video with a social media post, claiming that Pritzker “wishes he was Trump so bad.” The post went on to say, “News flash, JB — you actually have to win the presidency, not just bankroll Kamala’s disaster of a campaign.”
Pritzker’s video was released just one day after the Trump administration filed a lawsuit against him, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle. The lawsuit accuses them of interfering with the federal government’s mass deportation efforts.
During a press conference on Friday, Pritzker dismissed the lawsuit as a distraction. He argued that the Trump administration was trying to take attention away from policies that hurt working-class and middle-class families.
“This is a massive effort to distract from what they are doing across the country,” Pritzker said. “They are taking away things that working families and the most vulnerable really need.”
He also made it clear that Illinois would stand its ground against Trump’s attacks.
“We are tough, we are strong, and Donald Trump has no idea what he’s up against when he attacks Illinois,” Pritzker declared.
The video, while humorous, highlights the ongoing political rivalry between Pritzker and Trump. As speculation about Pritzker’s political future continues to grow, his latest move suggests that he is ready to take on national debates and position himself as a key Democratic voice against Trump’s influence.
