The 2028 Democrat primary isn’t shaping up to be a debate about vision or leadership—it’s quickly becoming a contest over who can posture the hardest against Donald Trump. Forget policies, forget governing, forget delivering results for their states. The only currency these would-be contenders trade in is anti-Trump theatrics, each one trying to scream “authoritarian” louder than the next. And leading that parade of desperation, at least until now, has been California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
But, it looks like Gavin Newsom may finally have found himself a rival in the battle for “Most Desperate Anti-Trump Democrat.” For weeks, the California governor has been trying to position himself as President Trump’s chief foil, hoping it will set him apart from the crowded field of would-be 2028 Democratic contenders. But now Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker is elbowing his way into the spotlight, determined to prove he can outdo Newsom in the never-ending spectacle of Trump Derangement Syndrome.
Pritzker, like Newsom, seems to be less concerned about running his own state than being obsessed with President Trump. Every time a microphone is within reach, Pritzker starts lecturing about “authoritarianism” and “threats to democracy,” blah blah blah, the same rhetoric everyone else uses. He wants everyone to know he’s standing up to Trump. So far, he hasn’t had a standout moment, and his standing in 2028 Democrat primary polls isn’t spectacular, to say the least.
And Monday’s press conference in Chicago was the clearest sign yet that Pritzker has his eyes on Newsom’s crown. Trump recently mentioned that Chicago might be next on the list for increased federal law enforcement action—following the undeniable success in D.C.—and the Illinois governor leapt at the chance to jump on his soapbox.
“Chicago’s a mess, you have an incompetent mayor—grossly incompetent— and we’ll straighten that one out probably next,” Trump said last week. He’s not wrong. And it’s telling that Trump’s remarks struck a raw nerve.
That’s when Pritzker sprang into action. Flanked by Chicago’s embattled Mayor Brandon Johnson and a gaggle of city officials, the governor put on his most defiant face and declared, “Mr. President, do not come to Chicago. You are neither wanted here nor needed here.” It was an almost comical attempt at defiance.
He even warned that deploying National Guard troops to Chicago—something many residents might welcome, given the crime crisis—would bring an “unprecedented and difficult time” for the city. Then, turning up the theatrics, he promised, “We will see the Trump administration in court. The state of Illinois is ready to stand against this military deployment with every peaceful tool we have.”
Lame political theater. And it was theater staged on a perfectly symbolic backdrop. The press event wasn’t held in just any random place in Chicago—it was in the shadow of Trump Tower. After grandstanding about Chicago’s beauty and boasting, “I know that I live rent-free in the president’s head,” Pritzker wound up with an unintentional punchline gifted by a cameraman.
Just watch this all the way through.
PRITZKER: "I live rent free in the President's head."
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) August 25, 2025
Wait 'til the end. 🤣 pic.twitter.com/wPiB3xSi0b
Classic.
But, I digress.
So now it seems we have a new contest on the left: Which Democrat can be the loudest, most theatrical thorn in Trump’s side? Newsom still has the edge in polish, but Pritzker is making a mighty push for runner-up by turning every Trump comment into an excuse for a press conference. In a way, it really is funny—Trump doesn’t even have to show up in Chicago to dominate the stage. He just has to say a few words, and the governor of Illinois scrambles to fire off soundbites under the shadow of Trump’s own building.
Rent-free indeed.
