Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said he fears President Donald Trump could take drastic action — even starting a war — to divert attention from newly released documents linking him to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
According to The Associated Press, in an interview on Wednesday, Pritzker said his “great fear, of course, is that with the release of that information, which I think will be devastating for Trump, he’s going to do everything in his power to distract.”
“What does that mean? I mean, he might take us to war with Venezuela just to get a distraction in the news and take it out of the headlines,” Pritzker said.
The governor is often mentioned as a possible Democratic presidential contender in 2028, leveled some of his harshest criticism yet at members of his own party.
He blasted the eight senators — seven Democrats and one independent — who joined Republicans in a vote to end the government shutdown, calling it an “enormous mistake.”
“I’ve been on team fight from the very beginning,” Pritzker said. “And I don’t appreciate when we’ve got Democrats who are caving in and doing basically what the Trump administration wants.”
The governor declined to call for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to step down, but said he was baffled by the decision to compromise.
“We were winning,” he said, pointing to recent Democratic victories nationwide. “I do not understand why people caved when we were on the verge of getting real change.”
Since Trump’s reelection, Pritzker — an heir to the Hyatt hotel fortune — has become one of the president’s most vocal critics. On Wednesday, he called Trump “a narcissist” and claimed the president “has dementia.”
The comments came as documents reignited public interest in Trump’s ties to Epstein. One 2019 email from Epstein claimed Trump “knew about the girls,” though it remains unclear what he knew or whether it related to Epstein’s criminal activity.
The White House accused Democrats of selectively leaking the information to damage Trump politically.
Pritzker also pointed to recent federal immigration raids in Illinois as evidence of what he called the president’s “militarization” of American cities. Under Operation Midway Blitz, federal agents have arrested more than 3,300 people in the Chicago area since September, using helicopters, tear gas, and late-night operations.
“This is part of the militarization of our American cities that Donald Trump is engaging in,” Pritzker said. “And it’s dangerous. It shouldn’t happen, but he’s got a purpose behind it. And it’s to affect our elections in 2026.”
He said he’s spoken with North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein about reports that similar operations could soon expand into other states. “I’m hoping that the pushback will finally lead them to ratchet down their efforts,” Pritzker said.
