Illinois Governor JB Pritzker Dares Trump Over Arrest Threats

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson have openly challenged former U.S. President Donald Trump after he called for their arrest as military troops arrived in the city.

“Chicago mayor should be in jail for failing to protect ICE officers! Governor Pritzker also!” Trump wrote Monday on Truth Social.

The Texas National Guard entered Illinois on Tuesday, following weeks of Trump’s threats to deploy the military in response to crime and immigration protests in Chicago.

Governor Pritzker, refusing to be intimidated, declared on X, “I will not back down.”
“Trump is now calling for the arrest of elected representatives checking his power,” he continued. “What else is left on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?”

Mayor Johnson also pushed back, saying, “This is not the first time Trump has tried to have a Black man unjustly arrested. I’m not going anywhere.”

Speaking to reporters Wednesday afternoon, Pritzker went further, daring Trump directly: “Come and get me.”

“This is a convicted felon who is threatening to jail me. This guy is unhinged. He’s insecure. He’s a wannabe dictator,” the governor said. “There’s one thing I really want to say to Donald Trump: if you come for my people, you come through me. So come and get me.”

The heated exchange marks the latest escalation in the feud between Trump and Chicago officials. Earlier this week, city leaders filed — and lost — a lawsuit seeking to block the deployment of federal troops on Chicago’s streets.