Administration

Pritzker accuses Trump of setting ‘a tone where political violence is OK’

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by Sarah Davis - 05/05/26 3:34 PM ET

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by Sarah Davis - 05/05/26 3:34 PM ET

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Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) accused President Trump of allowing an environment of “political violence” to persist in an interview released Tuesday.

“Look, our leaders set the tone in this country, and I think that the President of the United States has set a tone where political violence is OK,” Pritzker told Politico’s Jonathan Martin. “He’s advocated it himself before. It’s a terrible thing.”

White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson pushed back against the governor’s accusation in a Tuesday statement to The Hill.

“As the survivor of multiple assassination attempts — and watching his dear friend Charlie [Kirk] be assassinated last year — no one understands the dangers of political violence more than President Trump,” Jackson said. “And President Trump, and the entire Administration, will not hesitate to speak the truth and call out Democrats for smearing their opponents as Nazis, fascists, and more.”

The governor acknowledged the threats made to Trump’s life during his interview with Politico, saying the president has “experienced the other side” of this political environment.

Most recently, federal prosecutors charged the gunman at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner with attempting to assassinate Trump. The president previously faced an assassination attempt at a 2024 campaign event in Butler, Pa., and two planned attacks in West Palm Beach, Fla., during his second term.

“We need to be speaking out against political violence,” Pritzker said. “I’m a big believer in it’s OK to disagree but not be disagreeable.”

Earlier this year, Capitol Police reported nearly a 58 percent jump in 2025 of reported threats against congressional lawmakers, their families, staff and the Capitol building itself.

Pritzker said that he and his family have seen an uptick in threats made against them in recent years, particularly those mentioning their Jewish faith.

“I don’t want to overstate it, but it’s true,” the governor said, noting that the amount of threats have been “more than it was in years before.”

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