Podcast Summary: “Illinois Governor JB Pritzker on How He Fought ICE’s Messaging War”

Podcast: Question Everything
Host: Brian Reed
Guest: Governor J.B. Pritzker of Illinois, with Ben Smith and Max Tani from Semaphore’s Mixed Signals
Date: January 29, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode of Question Everything delves into Governor J.B. Pritzker’s experience battling not only federal immigration enforcement raids in Chicago but also the Trump administration’s aggressive, often misleading, public narrative around those actions. Pritzker discusses his communication and media tactics for countering ICE’s misinformation, the moral and strategic stakes of the “information war,” and the challenge of keeping truth visible amid viral propaganda and polarizing media.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Battle Over Narrative: ICE, Misinformation, and Propaganda

• Escalation of ICE Actions in Cities

  • Discussion contextualized by recent ICE raids and shootings in Minneapolis, with a parallel drawn to similar events in Chicago during “Operation Midway Blitz.”
  • Pritzker frames Trump’s use of the National Guard and federal agents as an intimidation tactic:

    “Donald Trump is using National Guard and other troops as a way to frighten the people of the United States in great American cities. And that's not what people signed up for.” (01:56)

• Controlling the Narrative

  • ICE and DHS disseminate rapid, provocative messaging—often with false or unverified claims—through images, press releases, and social media.
  • Example: ICE’s account of the killing of Silverio Villegas Vargas was called into question by local reporting, contradicting the official story, and even the agent involved.

    “What we have seen... is we're... able to prove that much of what they're saying is false. Now I try very hard to make sure that what we're putting out is fact.” (04:10)

2. The Governor’s Response: Transparency, Local Media, and Citizen Videography

• Fact-Based, Rapid Response

  • The Governor’s team publishes videos and images to counter ICE’s claims, focusing on verification and transparency.
  • The public's perception is shifting, with trust slowly moving toward local sources and corroborated evidence (“people are beginning to see, again, that we're telling the truth. They're not.” (05:28)).

• Grassroots Surveillance

  • Encouraging citizens to film all law enforcement encounters with ICE—cell phone footage becomes primary evidence.
  • Deployment of official state police cameras at protest sites, not just to oversee protesters, but to document federal actions for transparency and legal challenges:

    “I have asked everybody in Chicago that when they see ICE agents or CBP in the neighborhoods, pull your phone out, video everything, post it or send it to local media. And more and more, that's exactly what's happening.” (06:38)

• Official Cooperation and Communication Breakdown

  • Pritzker distinguishes between normal cooperation with federal law enforcement and ICE actions under Trump:

    “We would like to know [what ICE is doing] so that we can prevent protesters... or just, you know, we don't want a mistake where police show up... and find out that's an ICE agent. So we'd like to have communication. We get zero, zero communication.” (10:52)

3. Communication Tactics: Tone, Platforms, and Strategy

• Different Approaches in Blue States

  • Compared to California’s Governor Gavin Newsom, who uses mocking social media and AI-generated content, Pritzker maintains a serious, Midwestern tone.

    “Maybe it's because I'm a Midwesterner... for me, 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, putting troops on the ground... targeting people based on the color of their skin, all of that is incredibly offensive to me.” (12:32)

• Litigation and Messaging

  • Legal victories against ICE are boosted by credible video evidence, even cited by judges requiring body cameras for ICE officers.

    “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.” (15:18)

• Direct and Indirect Communication to the White House

  • Pritzker avoids Fox News but amplifies his message via multiple platforms, believing that quantity and consistency, not just virality or media targeting, matter.
  • His message to Trump: Chicago welcomes help on real crime—from ATF, DEA, FBI—but not militarized immigration crackdowns.

    "Instead, if you want to help us, please send us civilian law enforcement, FBI... ATF... DEA... but we could always use more." (16:31)

4. Media Landscape and Threats

• Dangers of Right-Wing Influencer Activity

  • Cites personal risk from “doxxing” and incendiary content by right-wing media figures:

    “One of those influencers... came to my house... essentially saying that I am the enemy and that people should understand that I am causing the environment that led to Charlie Kirk's death.” (18:55)

  • Distinguishes between doxxing ICE agents and informing the public about federal enforcement in neighborhoods, criticizing social platforms for indiscriminate content takedowns.

• Vital Role of Local Media

  • Contrasts sensational out-of-context coverage by outside influencers with accurate, comprehensive reporting from Chicago news organizations.

    “Our local media here have done actually a really good job of covering the broad swath of what's really going on.” (21:06)

5. Reflections on Crisis Leadership and Communication

• Learning from Unprecedented Times

  • Pritzker recounts that his entire tenure has been crisis—from fiscal emergencies to COVID-19 to the current federal confrontation. The guiding principle: communicate what’s known, factually and quickly, to provide public reassurance.

    “Even though we didn't know everything every day... I wanted to make sure that whatever facts we had... we put them out there to the public as fast as possible. Because people are confused... The more you can reassure them... I think it gives people at least some foundation to stand upon.” (26:01)

  • This communication approach has been consistent across COVID, the migrant crisis, and ICE/National Guard deployment issues.

• Memorable Moments

  • Press events meant to visually refute Trump’s “war zone” narrative, such as a press conference on a riverboat showcasing Chicago’s beauty, had significant impact.
  • Coalition press events with business, nonprofit, and faith leaders also solidified and projected community unity.

    “We held a press conference... with business leaders and pastors... a cross-section of the entire city... to say to Donald Trump, ‘please don't send troops here. We don't want troops. We have other things we'd like.’... That broke through.” (30:46)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Encouraging Citizen Documentation

  • “I have asked everybody in Chicago that when they see ICE agents or CBP in the neighborhoods, pull your phone out, video everything, post it or send it to local media.” (06:38, Pritzker)

• Seriousness Over Mockery

  • “For me, it's hard to make a joke out of much of it... it looks like every authoritarian regime we’ve seen around the world... that's my point. They shouldn't be doing any of this.” (12:32, Pritzker)

• Fact-Based Strategy in Crisis

  • “Communicating well and quickly, but factually is probably the biggest thing... and most important thing I can do in a crisis.” (26:01, Pritzker)

• On Virality versus Credibility

  • “We don't sit around and think, like, let's try to come up with a viral moment. We are thinking about how do we best communicate... and make sure that it’s credible.” (30:46, Pritzker)

• On the Effect of Repeated Lies

  • “If you just tell a lie enough times... the old expression about a lie can make it all the way around the world before the truth can lace up its sneakers... it does work sometimes but it only works if no one's really pushing back.” (33:08, Pritzker)

Important Timestamps

• [01:56] – Introduction to the “information war,” ICE propaganda, and Trump’s federal deployments
• [04:10] – Pritzker on the media strategy: transparency, speed, and verification
• [06:38] – The Governor’s appeal to citizens to film everything
• [09:20] – Tension between federal authority and local legitimacy
• [12:32] – Discussion of tone: Pritzker’s seriousness vs. Newsom’s more performative approach
• [15:18] – Video evidence swaying court proceedings
• [18:55] – Dangers posed by right-wing influencers and doxxing
• [21:06] – Praise for local news accuracy and impact
• [26:01] – Crisis communications leadership lessons
• [30:46] – “Breakthrough” media events and unified press conferences
• [33:08] – Reflection on persistent misinformation tactics

Tone & Atmosphere

Pritzker’s tone is earnest, almost somber, emphasizing the seriousness of the situation, his commitment to credibility, and the moral weight of his actions. He distances himself from performative or mocking approaches, drawing on his background in civil rights and experiences with Holocaust survivors to explain his orientation toward transparency and justice. The hosts are probing but respectful, focusing the conversation on strategic and ethical dimensions of crisis communications.

For Listeners: Why This Episode Matters

This episode offers a rare, candid look inside the frontline of a state-federal standoff—not just on policy and street-level enforcement, but on the contested battleground of narrative and media. Pritzker’s approach is both a case study in modern governance and an exploration of how truth, transparency, and trust are carved out in a fragmented, viral media environment. The episode is essential listening for anyone interested in the intersections of politics, crisis management, journalism, and the evolving information ecosystem.