Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) said Monday he thinks some Republicans are starting to talk about “breaking away” from President Trump.
In an interview on MSNBC’s “The Rachel Maddow Show,” Pritzker called on the public to elect members in 2026 “who actually will follow the law and follow the Constitution in the United States Congress,” which he suggested could include some Republicans.
“We’re only a few votes away from having a majority like that,” Pritzker said, noting the GOP’s slim majority in the House and Senate.
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But, he added, “Frankly, I think there are some Republicans who, yes, they are afraid of Donald Trump right now, but there are some who actually have a conscience. And I think that they’re beginning to talk about breaking away from President Trump.”
“Those things — I mean, whether we’re going to win those Republicans over, maybe not, or we’re going to win the elections in 2026 — the courts and the Congress are going to be vital for us maintaining our democracy,” Pritzker continued.
Pritzker did not provide any specific examples of Republicans expressing such a sentiment.
In a statement to The Hill, the White House brushed off Pritzker’s claim.
“Pritzker is about as qualified to talk about Republican Party thinking as he is to give fitness advice,” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said.
Pritzker has emerged as an outspoken critic of the Trump administration’s crime and immigration crackdown in mostly Democratic-run cities, including Chicago, which became the president’s most recent target.
Pritzker has said the federal troops are not welcome in Chicago and not necessary.
On Monday, he suggested the Trump administration was marching troops in military gear down the streets of Chicago in order to send a “signal” to the public “that it’s OK to have troops on your street, that this would be a welcome thing for people who live in Chicago.”
“Nobody here welcomes it, by the way. I mean, literally, as they’re walking down the street, people are yelling at them,” Pritzker told Maddow. “But they think they can get people used to the idea.”
Trump last week told a gathering of military leaders they should use American cities as “training grounds” and described a federal crackdown on crime in major cities as necessary due to “a war from within.”