Podcast Summary: “Governor Pritzker Delivers Warning to Trump: STAY OUT!”

Podcast: The MeidasTouch Podcast
Host: MeidasTouch Network (Ben, Brett, and Jordy Meiselas)
Episode Date: September 4, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode features a tense and urgent conversation about the Trump administration’s planned ICE and military actions in Chicago and Illinois. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker joins the MeidasTouch brothers to discuss what he characterizes as an unprecedented, dangerous, and politically motivated attempt to use federal force against American citizens. The episode explores the legal, social, and political implications of Trump’s plan and Pritzker's direct warning for Trump to "stay out" of Illinois.

Key Discussion Points

1. Context: Chicago and the Federal Threat

• The episode opens with news and visuals of Chicago enjoying its safest summer in decades, directly contradicting Trump’s narrative about city violence.

• Ben establishes the Trump administration’s alleged plan: ICE agents are being amassed at the Great Lakes Naval Base, with rumblings of military intervention under the pretense of restoring law and order.

  • [02:03] Ben: “The summer had its lowest homicide rate in Chicago in 60 years...this is the city right here that Donald Trump wants to invade."

• Governor Pritzker outlines concerns in a press conference, pointing to a deliberate targeting of the city's Mexican Independence Day celebrations for ICE raids.

  • [02:36] Pritzker: “The terror and cruelty is the point, not the safety of anyone living here.”

2. ICE Build-Up & Provocations

• Pritzker reveals about 300 ICE officers, led by Gregory Bovino, are being positioned for large-scale raids reminiscent of those recently carried out in Los Angeles.

• The stated aim: to create enough chaos that the administration can justify military deployment in a U.S. city.

  • [03:35] Pritzker: "They’re hoping in the end...they’ll have to call in troops to protect the ICE officials. So that’s what their aim is. It’s not actually to effectuate removal of violent criminals. What they’re doing is dangerous. What they’re doing is un-American."
  • [04:40] Pritzker: “I’ve encouraged people to get out their iPhones and their Android devices and film everything they see from the ICE officials... we’ve made sure that people on the streets know their rights.”

3. Phases of the Trump Plan

• The brothers confirm with Pritzker: ICE’s escalation is the first phase, followed by the hope of provoking enough unrest to justify military occupation.

• Ben asks if it’s hyperbole to call this an “invasion.”

  • [06:11] Pritzker: “It’s an invasion. If they send American troops into an American city, it’s an invasion.”

• The ICE officers’ demeanor and the use of social media and “reality TV” tactics are discussed, suggesting the operation is partly performative for Trump’s political base.

4. Legal Recourse: Posse Comitatus

• Ben raises the issue of military policing and the constitutional ban under the Posse Comitatus Act.

  • [08:00] Ben: “Is there legal action on the horizon?”

• Pritzker outlines the legal strategy: an immediate court response if/when federal troops are formally used in law enforcement—not before.

  • [08:56] Pritzker: “The moment they sort of trip the wire...we are ready. We are going into court immediately when they trip that wire.”

• He stresses community legal education (rights during ICE raids), the difference between judicial and administrative warrants, and readiness to contest unconstitutional actions at every turn.

5. Direct Warning to Trump and the White House

• Ben notes Trump’s repeated public attacks on Pritzker, seeking the governor’s direct message.

  • [11:45] Pritzker: "My message is: Don’t come to Chicago. Don’t bring military troops to the streets of an American city. Don’t do it. We will go to court to stop you. And the people of Chicago won’t stand for it, and the people of America won’t stand for it. ...[Trump] seems a little obsessed with me and with Chicago. Maybe he’s got Pritzker derangement syndrome..."

6. Setting the Record Straight: Chicago's Crime & Image

• Pritzker calls out Trump’s misleading statements about Chicago’s crime rate, emphasizing recent progress and the city’s relative safety.

• He contrasts an obsession with domestic crackdowns against the backdrop of growing international instability.

  • [12:54] Pritzker: “We are in the bottom half in terms of, you know, high violent crime of the states. Right. We’re 19th best in the country. ... And the city of Chicago isn’t even in the top 25 most dangerous violent crime cities."

7. Broader Implications: Democracy, Global Reputation & 2026 Elections

• The brothers and Pritzker reflect on how the Trump administration’s posture harms the U.S.’s global standing and emboldens authoritarian power blocs.

• Pritzker emphasizes that normalizing the military in cities is a tactic for potential election interference in 2026.

  • [14:34] Pritzker: "...He’s attacking governors and mayors across the country ... and not standing up to Vladimir Putin or Xi in China. The world is topsy turvy. ...He wants to normalize the idea of troops on the ground, military in American cities so that when he does it in 2026 and takes control of some elections because he doesn’t like the outcome, that we’ll say, oh, well, I guess it’s okay."

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Gov. Pritzker: "The terror and cruelty is the point, not the safety of anyone living here."
  — [02:36], on the timing of ICE actions during Mexican Independence Day celebrations

• Gov. Pritzker: “It’s an invasion. If they send American troops into an American city, it’s an invasion.”
  — [06:11], directly labeling Trump's plan as an invasion

• Gov. Pritzker: “We are ready. We are going into court immediately when they trip that wire.”
  — [08:56], about planned legal resistance against unconstitutional actions

• Gov. Pritzker: “My message is: Don’t come to Chicago. Don’t bring military troops to the streets of an American city. Don’t do it. We will go to court to stop you. And the people of Chicago won’t stand for it, and the people of America won’t stand for it.”
  — [11:45], Governor's unequivocal warning to Trump

• Gov. Pritzker: “He wants to normalize the idea of troops on the ground, military in American cities so that when he does it in 2026 and takes control of some elections because he doesn’t like the outcome, that we’ll say, oh, well, I guess it’s okay. That’s not normal and none of us should stand for it.”
  — [14:34], on the broader implications for democracy

Timeline of Important Segments

• [02:03]: Ben sets up the context: low Chicago crime rates, impending ICE/military actions
• [02:36]: Pritzker's press conference audio—motives behind ICE activity
• [03:35]: Pritzker describes ICE build-up and objectives
• [06:11]: Pritzker calls the planned action an "invasion"
• [08:00]: Discussion on legal blocks, Posse Comitatus Act
• [08:56]: Pritzker explains the immediate legal response plan
• [11:45]: Direct warning from Pritzker to Trump and the White House
• [12:54]: Discussion of Chicago's crime stats versus Trump's claims
• [14:34]: Global implications and potential 2026 election impact

Final Thoughts

This urgent, impassioned episode delivers a stark warning against the use of federal force for political spectacles. Governor Pritzker positions Illinois as a frontline in defending democratic norms, civil rights, and constitutional protections against what he calls a dangerous, un-American campaign by the Trump administration. The MeidasTouch Podcast offers both a rallying cry for peaceful resistance and a detailed rundown of the legal and political stakes at play in September 2025.