Mixed Signals from Semafor Media

Episode: Governor JB Pritzker on Chicago, ICE, and the Information War with Trump’s White House

Date: October 17, 2025
Hosts: Max Tani & Ben Smith
Guest: Illinois Governor JB Pritzker

Episode Overview

This episode dives into how Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker is navigating a rapidly shifting media and political landscape amid escalating confrontations with the Trump administration over immigration enforcement in Chicago. The conversation explores the Governor’s communication strategies in the age of viral video and information warfare, the local realities on the ground, and how both mainstream and conservative media are shaping public perception. The hosts ask Pritzker about his approach compared to other Democratic leaders, especially California Governor Gavin Newsom, and about his personal experiences and lessons learned handling continuous, unprecedented crises as governor.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Setting the Stage: Why Pritzker, Why Now?

• Hosts introduce episode and explain why Pritzker is a timely guest: he’s “figuring out in real time how to make his case to the public that immigration authorities should stay out of Chicago” while facing federal pressure and conservative media outrage. (00:38–01:32)
• Communications evolution: Hosts note that Pritzker’s press shop has adopted unconventional tactics, like issuing image-only press releases and embracing TikToks and influencer engagement. (02:49–03:39)

Ben Smith (on Pritzker’s evolving press shop):
"His press shop has taken to sending us press releases that are only photographs … Are we in a post-literate age? In an age where images and videos are starting to dominate?" (02:59)

2. Information War in Chicago

a. Navigating “Dueling Realities”: What’s Actually Happening?

• Pritzker reads multiple Chicago outlets daily (Chicago Tribune, Sun-Times, Block Club Chicago) for ground truth, in addition to national news.

Pritzker: “We have some really terrific reporting on the ground… These are publications that I read, the first that I read in the morning.” (05:29–06:25)

b. ICE, DHS, and the Trump White House’s Narrative

• Federal agencies (ICE, CBP, DHS) are, according to Pritzker, regularly putting out misinformation, sometimes following violent or controversial incidents.
• His office’s response: Pritzker described how they prioritize releasing factual videos and images to counter federal claims, relying on local media and bystander footage (07:00–09:15)

Pritzker:
"ICE and CBP … are regularly putting out false information … What we have seen … is we’re able to prove that much of what they’re saying is false." (06:56–08:30)

c. Mobilizing Public Witnessing

• Pritzker asks Chicagoans to videotape all encounters with ICE/CBP, uploading or sharing them with local media to build an evidence base.
• State police are also recording at protest locations to document federal actions. (09:24–11:08)

Pritzker:
"I have asked everybody in Chicago: when they see ICE agents or CBP in the neighborhoods, pull your phone out, video everything, post it or send it to local media. … Virtually everything that people can video, they are now." (09:50–10:38)

3. Legitimacy and Lawfulness of Federal Actions

• Ben challenges Pritzker: How does he justify treating ICE/CBP as “occupying power,” when federal enforcement is legal? (12:07)
• Pritzker: “We’ve had ICE in Chicago for ... a long time… What we’ve seen now ... is they’re under the direction of Gregory Bevino … abusing people, dragging people around... U.S. citizens ... being thrown in the back of a vehicle.” (12:07–15:19)
• Lack of coordination and communication from federal agencies is cited as a major concern and source of local confusion and risk.

4. Contrasting Strategies—Newsom vs. Pritzker

• Gavin Newsom’s approach: aggressive, often mocking Trump with all-caps tweets and AI videos.
• Pritzker’s approach: Serious, fact-based, Midwestern… declining to meet meme with meme, motivated by the gravity of the abuses he perceives.

Pritzker:
"Maybe it’s because I’m a Midwesterner … it’s hard for me to make a joke out of much of it. … When I see what they’re doing, it looks like every authoritarian regime we’ve seen around the world." (15:19–17:56)

5. Power of Media—Viral Video, Conservative Outlets, and Local News

• Impact on legal proceedings: Videos and public evidence are influencing court decisions regarding the conduct of ICE agents.

Pritzker, on recent court case: “The judge essentially said, I want all ICE officers with body cameras from now on. Because what they’re saying is incredible, and … we’re getting evidence that what they’re saying is false.” (18:04)

• Do direct TV appeals work?
  Pritzker has not tried a Fox News address, doubting its efficacy, but says he’s loudly and repeatedly made requests for proper help and resources, not military intervention. (19:17–21:23)

Conservative Media Coverage

• Pritzker describes right-wing influencers amplifying threats, sometimes coming to his own house and endangering him and others through inflammatory videos and doxxing.

"Those right wing podcasters, what they’re doing is causing danger and potentially fomenting violence." (21:41)

6. Lessons in Crisis Communication

• Unprecedented times: Pritzker reflects on relentless crises—budget, COVID, migrants, Trump—and how that’s forced him to adapt.

"How many months... were ‘precedented times, not unprecedented?’ The answer was maybe 8…” (30:53)

• Effective crisis communication: Speed, transparency, and factuality, even if the news is not complete:

"Communicating well and quickly, but factually, is probably the biggest thing... And most important thing I can do." (32:48)

Mocking the Opposition—A Tasteful Exception

• Pritzker admits to making a joke when Kristi Noem visited, but asserts the administration’s priority is fact-based pushback. (33:27)

7. What Breaks Through? Memorable Moments Amid Media Fragmentation

• Pritzker cites as breakthrough moments:
  • A press conference on a Chicago river water taxi reinforcing the city’s normalcy and beauty, countering the “war zone” narrative (35:38)
  • A press event with diverse city leaders united in opposition to deploying federal troops in Chicago

"That broke through... our city is really gorgeous, that we stand together, that … the president is lying when he says it’s exploded." (35:38–37:49)

• Viral aspirations? Not so much: "We don’t sit around and think, like, let’s try to come up with a viral moment." (37:26)

8. Does Accuracy Matter Anymore?

• Ben raises the issue: Does truthfulness still matter in this rhetorical war?
• Pritzker: "They obviously think you can [just lie and move on]… It only works if no one’s really pushing back… we’re trying to be a credible source." (38:00–38:43)

9. Governor’s Personal Touch

• Bears & Blackjack: Pritzker clarifies he does not bet on the Bears or place sports wagers due to his role as industry regulator, but roots for the team.

"I really don’t place those bets anywhere. But I am always rooting for the Bears." (39:09–39:52)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On images as press releases:
  "His press shop has taken to sending us press releases that are only photographs.... a really strange new development." – Ben Smith (02:59)

• On asking the public to document:
  "When they see ICE agents or CBP in the neighborhoods, pull your phone out, video everything, post it..." – JB Pritzker (09:50)

• On communication philosophy:
  "Communicating well and quickly, but factually, is probably the biggest thing… And most important thing I can do." – JB Pritzker (32:48)

Important Timestamps

• [05:02] - How Pritzker monitors news and assesses reality on the ground
• [06:56] - Pritzker on the “information war” with Trump’s agencies
• [09:50] - On mobilizing everyday Chicagoans to document ICE/CBP actions
• [12:07] - Debate over legitimacy and conduct of federal law enforcement
• [15:19] - Pritzker on rejecting Gavin Newsom’s combative meme tactics
• [18:04] - Court impact: judges order ICE bodycams due to credibility issues
• [21:41] - Dangers from right-wing media and podcasters—real-life threats
• [30:53] - Reflection on continuous crisis governance
• [35:38] - Memorable moments: press conference on river taxi, united civic event

Tone and Style

• The hosts balance curiosity and skepticism, often probing for specifics and questioning strategies.
• Pritzker’s tone is earnest, serious, and rooted in his personal background, especially when discussing lessons from Holocaust survivors and civil rights activism.
• The episode’s mood swings between the high-stakes information battle and moments of levity (e.g., Bears talk).

Additional Host Reflections

• The hosts note that video, rather than traditional press releases or op-eds, has redefined crisis communication in this era.
• They observe that despite the fragmented media, some traditional “moments” still break through—especially when they can symbolize unity or push against dominant negative narratives.

Summary Takeaways

• Pritzker’s media strategy: Shifted from traditional statements to image and video-heavy communication, leveraging local media, crowdsourced evidence, and direct fact-driven updates to counter federal agency narratives.
• Public engagement: He directly encourages mass documentation from regular citizens as a counterbalance to federal opacity and right-wing media campaigns.
• Contrast to other Democrats: Pritzker favors a sober, fact-based approach, avoiding memes and trolling even as other Democratic leaders engage Trump on his own rhetorical turf.
• Local news matters: Despite the rise of viral video and national outlets, local news—and locally produced primary-source video—remains central to Pritzker’s information stream and public messaging.
• Truth vs. virality: While lies often go viral, Pritzker hopes consistent, credible, and transparent information will tip public opinion in his favor over time.