SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker speaks to the press following a visit to the National Museum of Mexican Art in the Pilsen neighborhood on September 9, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois.
(Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Pritzker Warns Trump Will Have Military Seize Ballot Boxes So He Can 'Count the Votes Himself' in Elections
"Come and get me," the Illinois governor said when asked about the president's call to have him arrested.
Oct 08, 2025
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker issued a new warning on Wednesday about President Donald Trump's efforts to deploy the American military in US cities against the wishes of local elected officials.
Hours after Trump called for Pritzker's imprisonment in a Wednesday morning Truth Social post, the Illinois governor claimed in an interview with MSNBC that the president's ultimate goal with sending troops into US cities was to control the outcomes of future elections.
"He wants to militarize major cities across the United States, especially blue cities in blue states, because he wants us to get used to the idea of military on the streets," he said. "2026 elections, I believe he's going to post people outside ballot boxes and polling places, and, if he needs to in order to control those elections, he'll assume control of the ballot boxes and count the votes himself."
Pritzker pointed out that Trump considered ordering the military to seize ballot boxes after he lost the 2020 presidential election, but he was met with resistance from officials in his own administration.
However, Pritzker said that "I believe he would do it in 2026" to help Republicans maintain control of Congress.
Pritzker: "He wants to militarize major cities across the US, especially blue cities in blue states, because he wants us to get used to the idea of troops on the streets. I believe he's gonna post people outside of ballot boxes and polling places and if he needs to in order to… pic.twitter.com/hIyz41tsAb
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 8, 2025
Pritzker also struck a defiant tone when asked about Trump's call to imprison him.
"This guy's a convicted felon who's threatening to jail me!" he exclaimed. "This guy is unhinged. He's insecure. He's a wannabe dictator. And 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."
Pritzker: "This guy is unhinged. He's insecure. He's a wannabe dictator. And 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." pic.twitter.com/3QBrovBpZs
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 8, 2025
Pritzker's remarks come as Trump and his administration have deployed Texas National Guard soldiers to Chicago over the objections of both Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson. The state and city are challenging the deployment in court.
Federal immigration officials have been employing increasingly aggressive and violent tactics in the Chicago area in recent weeks, including attacking a journalist and a protesting priest with pepper balls outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility; slamming a congressional candidate to the ground; dragging US citizens, including children, out of their homes during a raid in the middle of the night; and fatally shooting a man during a traffic stop.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker issued a new warning on Wednesday about President Donald Trump's efforts to deploy the American military in US cities against the wishes of local elected officials.
Hours after Trump called for Pritzker's imprisonment in a Wednesday morning Truth Social post, the Illinois governor claimed in an interview with MSNBC that the president's ultimate goal with sending troops into US cities was to control the outcomes of future elections.
"He wants to militarize major cities across the United States, especially blue cities in blue states, because he wants us to get used to the idea of military on the streets," he said. "2026 elections, I believe he's going to post people outside ballot boxes and polling places, and, if he needs to in order to control those elections, he'll assume control of the ballot boxes and count the votes himself."
Pritzker pointed out that Trump considered ordering the military to seize ballot boxes after he lost the 2020 presidential election, but he was met with resistance from officials in his own administration.
However, Pritzker said that "I believe he would do it in 2026" to help Republicans maintain control of Congress.
Pritzker: "He wants to militarize major cities across the US, especially blue cities in blue states, because he wants us to get used to the idea of troops on the streets. I believe he's gonna post people outside of ballot boxes and polling places and if he needs to in order to… pic.twitter.com/hIyz41tsAb
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 8, 2025
Pritzker also struck a defiant tone when asked about Trump's call to imprison him.
"This guy's a convicted felon who's threatening to jail me!" he exclaimed. "This guy is unhinged. He's insecure. He's a wannabe dictator. And 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."
Pritzker: "This guy is unhinged. He's insecure. He's a wannabe dictator. And 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." pic.twitter.com/3QBrovBpZs
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 8, 2025
Pritzker's remarks come as Trump and his administration have deployed Texas National Guard soldiers to Chicago over the objections of both Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson. The state and city are challenging the deployment in court.
Federal immigration officials have been employing increasingly aggressive and violent tactics in the Chicago area in recent weeks, including attacking a journalist and a protesting priest with pepper balls outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility; slamming a congressional candidate to the ground; dragging US citizens, including children, out of their homes during a raid in the middle of the night; and fatally shooting a man during a traffic stop.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker issued a new warning on Wednesday about President Donald Trump's efforts to deploy the American military in US cities against the wishes of local elected officials.
Hours after Trump called for Pritzker's imprisonment in a Wednesday morning Truth Social post, the Illinois governor claimed in an interview with MSNBC that the president's ultimate goal with sending troops into US cities was to control the outcomes of future elections.
"He wants to militarize major cities across the United States, especially blue cities in blue states, because he wants us to get used to the idea of military on the streets," he said. "2026 elections, I believe he's going to post people outside ballot boxes and polling places, and, if he needs to in order to control those elections, he'll assume control of the ballot boxes and count the votes himself."
Pritzker pointed out that Trump considered ordering the military to seize ballot boxes after he lost the 2020 presidential election, but he was met with resistance from officials in his own administration.
However, Pritzker said that "I believe he would do it in 2026" to help Republicans maintain control of Congress.
Pritzker: "He wants to militarize major cities across the US, especially blue cities in blue states, because he wants us to get used to the idea of troops on the streets. I believe he's gonna post people outside of ballot boxes and polling places and if he needs to in order to… pic.twitter.com/hIyz41tsAb
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 8, 2025
Pritzker also struck a defiant tone when asked about Trump's call to imprison him.
"This guy's a convicted felon who's threatening to jail me!" he exclaimed. "This guy is unhinged. He's insecure. He's a wannabe dictator. And 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."
Pritzker: "This guy is unhinged. He's insecure. He's a wannabe dictator. And 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." pic.twitter.com/3QBrovBpZs
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 8, 2025
Pritzker's remarks come as Trump and his administration have deployed Texas National Guard soldiers to Chicago over the objections of both Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson. The state and city are challenging the deployment in court.
Federal immigration officials have been employing increasingly aggressive and violent tactics in the Chicago area in recent weeks, including attacking a journalist and a protesting priest with pepper balls outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility; slamming a congressional candidate to the ground; dragging US citizens, including children, out of their homes during a raid in the middle of the night; and fatally shooting a man during a traffic stop.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.