Pritzker on Trump: ‘I think the man has dementia’
CHICAGO - Gov. JB Pritzker said he believes that President Donald Trump "has dementia," in an interview with Politico set to be released next Tuesday.
What they're saying:
It’s just the latest jab between the two leaders whose rhetorical battles have only escalated since Trump returned to office, and Pritzker has received more buzz as a potential 2028 presidential candidate.
"Like a lot of bullies, you know, if you push back on a bully, oftentimes they actually do take a step back," Pritzker said in a clip of the interview Politico posted on social media on Friday. "I can’t explain because I don’t understand."
Pritzker added," I think the man has dementia. I don’t really understand how it works up there for him," referring to the president’s head.
The two billionaire politicians have gone after each other over everything from immigration enforcement policies to a project to keep Asian carp out of Lake Michigan. This is also another interview Pritzker has done with a national outlet, as he’s received more and more attention as a potential top candidate for the Democratic nomination for president in 2028, although he has said he’s focused on his gubernatorial reelection bid this year for a third term.
The governor went on to remark how often Trump has criticized him.
"But I can tell you that he doesn’t seem to like me," Pritzker said. "He mentions me very often, and sometimes completely out of the blue. He’s not talking about Illinois. He’s not talking about Chicago. He just, somehow, I pop up in his head, and he wants to take after me."
When asked by reporter Jonathan Martin if Pritzker thinks Trump had dementia in his first term in office, the governor said he didn’t know. But then Martin asked the governor if it was more "pronounced" during Trump’s second term.
"Oh my goodness, this time it’s much more pronounced," Pritzker said. "And I mean from day one, in fact, during the campaign, I think I felt that."
Pritzker then added, "I think it’s kind of a sad state of affairs because someone who’s suffering from dementia, I mean they genuinely need help and there’s no one around him who wants to help him. All those people are just sycophants."