Illinois Governor Urges Trump to Tone Down the Rhetoric: ‘We Have to Call for Calm’
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) is calling on President Donald Trump to tone down his rhetoric after days of violent demonstrations. “I wanted to take this moment — and I can’t let it pass — to speak up and say that…
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) is calling on President Donald Trump to tone down his rhetoric after days of violent demonstrations.
“I wanted to take this moment — and I can’t let it pass — to speak up and say that I’ve been extraordinarily concerned about the rhetoric that’s been used by you,” Pritzker told Trump during a phone call with several governors on Monday.
He continued, “It’s been inflammatory, and it’s not okay for that officer to choke George Floyd to death. But we have to call for calm. We have to have police reform called for. We’ve called out our national guard and our state police, but the rhetoric that’s coming out of the White House is making it worse.”
“And I need to say that people are feeling real pain out there and we’ve got to have national leadership in calling for calm and making sure that we’re addressing the concerns of the legitimate peaceful protests. That will help us to bring order.”
Read the transcript below:
https://twitter.com/katierogers/status/1267498548486123522
Trump did not appear too receptive to Pritzker’s appeal, as he said, “Okay, well thank you very much J.B. I don’t like your rhetoric much either because I watched with respect to the coronavirus, and I don’t like your rhetoric much either.”
“I think you could’ve done a much better job, frankly. But that’s okay. And you know, we don’t agree with each other,” he added.