Today, Explained – "The billionaire governor taking on Trump"
Date: February 14, 2026
Host: Today, Explained Saturday (Vox)
Guest: J.B. Pritzker, Governor of Illinois
Episode Overview
This episode features an in-depth interview with Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, a billionaire Democrat known for challenging the Trump administration's actions at the state and federal level. The discussion explores Illinois' strategies for resisting Trump’s federal policies, particularly around immigration enforcement, Pritzker's broader vision for the Democratic Party, his views on wealth taxes (which would impact him personally), the party's messaging crisis, and whether he's considering a presidential run. The episode also addresses timely topics around U.S. democracy, the minimum wage, the Israel-Gaza conflict, antisemitism, and personal questions about Pritzker's health journey.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Illinois’ Playbook for Pushing Back Against Trump’s Immigration Policies
- Illinois as Ground Zero: Pritzker describes Illinois as an early leader in resisting aggressive immigration enforcement.
- Elements of the Playbook:
- Ensuring residents know their rights in encounters with ICE ([02:15])
- Encouraging community video documentation of ICE actions for accountability ([02:15])
- Using citizen-collected video as evidence in court to resist federal overreach ([02:15])
- Notable Success: Illinois won court cases ensuring federalized National Guard troops could not be deployed on city streets; they had to remain on federal bases, a decision ultimately affirmed by the Supreme Court ([03:33]).
Quote:
“What is it? It starts with making sure people know what their rights are... Then the second thing...pull out your iPhone, pull out your Android phone, video everything.”
— J.B. Pritzker [02:15]
2. Federalization of the National Guard & Resistance Outcomes
- Trump Administration Ultimatum: Trump threatened to federalize Illinois’ National Guard if Pritzker didn’t activate them for immigration enforcement ([03:09]).
- Key Impact: Despite federalization, court rulings prevented deployment of the Guard into the streets of Chicago ([03:33]).
Quote:
“He federalized our National Guard, but was not allowed to deploy them in our streets... until it was determined by the court... he doesn’t have the ability to send his... National Guard into our streets.”
— J.B. Pritzker [03:33]
3. Call to Action for Other Democratic States
- Message to Blue States: Pritzker argues Democrats must stand up forcefully, through both peaceful protest and litigation, rather than being timid ([04:07], [04:34]).
Quote:
“We’ve got to stand up and push back... peaceful protests and encouraging people... video everything, to stand up.”
— J.B. Pritzker [04:07]
- Response to Escalation Concerns: When challenged about inciting tensions, Pritzker references multiple incidents of police violence, arguing protest and legal action are the minimal, necessary responses ([04:55]).
Quote:
“They’re shooting moms in the face... Shouldn't people peacefully protest, for goodness sakes, and speak out and more than that. Right. I mean, take them to court, fight them in every way we can that’s not violent.”
— J.B. Pritzker [04:55]
4. Election Integrity & Democracy Under Threat
- Decentralization as a Defense: The decentralized nature of U.S. elections offers some protection against federal manipulation ([05:39]).
- Urgency of Secretary of State Elections: Pritzker urges focus on state-level election integrity, emphasizing the importance of electing Secretaries of State who support democracy ([06:04]).
Quote:
“We’ve got to protect those elections and elect people to secretary of state positions who believe in democracy and who are going to protect people's votes.”
— J.B. Pritzker [06:04]
5. Democrats’ Complicity & Distinctiveness on Immigration
- Democrats’ Record: The host challenges Pritzker over Democrats’ history funding and expanding ICE, suggesting the differences with Republicans may be more about tone than substance ([06:49]).
- Pritzker’s Response: He insists the Trump administration weaponizes ICE and CBP to racially profile and harass U.S. citizens, not just undocumented immigrants, marking a fundamental difference ([07:44]).
Quote:
“ICE and CBP, today, under Donald Trump, are stopping US Citizens who are black and brown and demanding to see citizenship papers... That's the difference. They're racially profiling.”
— J.B. Pritzker [07:44]
- On Abolishing ICE: Pritzker openly calls for abolishing and replacing ICE, describing the agency under Trump as a “secret police” ([08:12]).
6. On Deportation of Violent Criminals
- Universal Agreement, Implementation Gaps: Both parties claim to support deporting undocumented immigrants convicted of violent crimes; Pritzker asks why this isn’t consistently executed, suggesting federal agencies have failed to deliver on their stated focus ([09:10]).
7. Tax Policy and Pritzker’s Support for a Wealth Tax
- Personal Financial Stake: Pritzker spent $58 million pushing for a graduated income tax in Illinois. Despite failing at the ballot, he doubled down on support for taxing the wealthy, including himself ([10:45], [11:11]).
- Ideological Foundations: He frames support for a wealth tax as inherently Democratic and necessary for funding infrastructure and social supports ([11:11], [12:03]).
Quote:
“It shouldn't fall on the backs of the middle class. And the working class. It should fall on the backs of the people who can afford it.”
— J.B. Pritzker [11:11]
8. Presidential Ambitions
- 2028 Presidential Run: Asked directly about presidential ambitions for 2028, Pritzker stays noncommittal, reiterating his focus is on Illinois ([12:49]).
Quote:
“I’m running for reelection... that is what I’m focused on. I’m obviously flattered that people have talked about me for national office.”
— J.B. Pritzker [12:49]
9. Democratic Party Urgency, Messaging, and Identity Crisis
- Need to ‘Fight Back’: Pritzker’s speeches have called for Democrats to stop “ducking” and confront Trump head-on, warning that ducking authoritarians only empowers them ([13:09], [14:02]).
- Critique of 2024 Messaging: He criticizes Democrats for focusing messaging on “democracy” when most voters are more immediately concerned with economic issues like wages and cost of living ([15:41]).
Quote:
“The problem is that for an average voter... what’s the most important issue to you? 5 out of 100 people will say democracy. The other 95 people... will say, I can’t pay my bills.”
— J.B. Pritzker [15:41]
- Minimum Wage as Missed Opportunity: He notes Democrats failed to foreground the low federal minimum wage despite widespread public (including Republican) support for raising it ([16:18]).
10. Israel, Gaza, and Antisemitism
- On Alleged Genocide in Gaza: Pritzker expresses horror at civilian casualties and calls for humanitarian aid and a two-state solution, while criticizing Netanyahu’s leadership ([17:31]).
- Antisemitism on the Left and Right: Acknowledges rising antisemitism broadly, and concerns about conflating criticism of Israel with antisemitism ([18:40]).
- Offensive Vetting Questions: Pritzker says he wasn’t asked, but would have found it offensive, if vetting for VP had asked if his religion made him an agent of Israel ([19:34]).
Quote:
“It would be like asking... if you’re an agent of Africa... My family’s been in this country for four generations now, and we’re patriots.”
— J.B. Pritzker [19:57]
11. Personal Health and Public Image
- On Weight Loss: Pritzker shares his lifelong struggle with weight, emphasizing it’s an ongoing, personal journey ([21:13]).
- GLP-1 Drugs Query: Declines to answer questions about taking weight loss medications, calling the inquiry “hyper personal” and encouraging medical choices to remain between patients and doctors ([21:32]).
12. Illinois and Democratic Identity
- State Pride: He ties Illinois’ values to historical progressivism—the first state to ratify the 13th Amendment, home of Lincoln and Obama—and frames his leadership as part of that tradition ([22:33]).
Notable Quotes & Moments
- “Authoritarians don’t go away. They get more powerful if you don’t stand up to them early.”
— J.B. Pritzker [14:02] - “Donald Trump is a danger to the future of our country and our democracy.”
— J.B. Pritzker [14:02] - “Why didn’t anybody talk about raising the minimum wage? The minimum wage nationally is $7.25. You cannot live on that.”
— J.B. Pritzker [16:18] - On Gaza: “When innocent people are targeted... that’s where I think you lose the world, and people like me who believe in rights.” [17:31]
- On offensive VP vetting: “The idea that you get tagged because you're a certain religion for being for some other country... I would find the question offensive.” [19:34]
Key Timestamps
- Illinois’ ICE Playbook: [02:15]
- National Guard Resistance: [03:33]
- Call for Blue State Action: [04:07]
- ICE and CBP Critique / Racial Profiling: [07:44]
- Abolish ICE: [08:12]
- Wealth Tax Support: [11:11]
- On 2028 Presidential Speculation: [12:49]
- Democratic Messaging Critique: [15:41]
- Israel-Gaza & Antisemitism Discussion: [17:14-19:34]
- Personal Health & Public Image: [21:13]
- Illinois Progressive Legacy: [22:33]
Summary
This wide-ranging conversation with Governor J.B. Pritzker emphasizes his active resistance to Trump-era policies, his vision for a bolder Democratic Party, and his candid critiques of party messaging and political timidity. He distinguishes his own record and Democratic values from Trump-style enforcement, calls for systemic accountability, and makes the case for wealth taxes—even when they affect him directly. The episode closes with timely reflections on antisemitism, personal health, and the enduring progressive legacy of Illinois.