‘An Insult!’ JB Pritzker Fires Back After Trump Declares He’s Sending Troops to Chicago

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) fired back at President Donald Trump on Tuesday afternoon, just minutes after the commander-in-chief announced he would be sending troops to Chicago to stifle crime, saying he refused to play a “reality game show” with the president on this key issue.

“When did we become a country where it’s okay for the U.S. president to insist on national television that a state should call him to beg for anything,” Pritzker said in a press conference. “Especially something we don’t want. Have we truly lost all sense of sanity that we treat this as normal?”

The governor’s comments immediately followed President Trump announcing “we’re going in” to combat lawlessness in Chicago, although the president did not say exactly when he would be sending the National Guard to The Windy City.

President Trump said he has an “obligation” to do so, after seeing news reports of more than 50 people being shot in Chicago over Labor Day weekend.

Priztker took issue with Trump saying the governor should have called him to request federal help. A little earlier, at his White House press conference, Trump had said:

“I would love to have Gov. Pritzker call me — I’d gain respect for him — and say ‘We do have a problem, and we’d love you to send in the troops,'” Trump said. “Because, you know what, the people  — they have to be protected.”

That comment did not sit well with Pritzker.

“It’s an insult to any and every citizen to suggest that any governor should have to beg the president of any political party for resources owed their people,” Pritzker said.

Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D) have made it clear in recent weeks they do not want Trump to deploy the National Guard, as he did recently in Washington, D.C., to help cut down on gun violence.

Last week, Johnson signed an executive order telling Chicago police to not “collaborate” with federal officials on joint patrols, arrest operations, and immigration law enforcement. He then reiterated his stance during a speech at the “Workers Over Billionaires” protest on Monday.

You can watch part of Pritzker’s response to Trump in the clip above, via MSNBC.