JB Pritzker calls out 'do-nothing' Democrats for failing to push back against Trump

CONCORD, N.H. – Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker sharply criticized fellow Democrats on Sunday for not doing enough to oppose President Donald Trump, drawing a clear divide between himself and other high-profile Democrats seen as future presidential contenders.

Pritzker delivered the keynote address at the New Hampshire Democratic Party’s McIntyre-Shaheen 100 Club Dinner, the latest and most high-profile in a series of speeches this year.

While Pritzker continued to attack Trump, he also focused on what he says are shortcomings in his own party, assailing Democrats for listening to “a bunch of know-nothing political types” instead of everyday Americans. Without naming names, he called out Democrats “flocking to podcasts and cable news shows to admonish fellow Democrats for not caring enough about the struggles of working families.”

“Those same do-nothing Democrats want to blame our losses on our defense of Black people, of trans kids, of immigrants, instead of their own lack of guts and gumption,” Pritzker said.

The second-term governor has yet to say whether he will run for that office again in 2026, but the billionaire Hyatt heir has been laying the groundwork for a potential presidential campaign for years.

Notably, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, another high-profile 2028 contender, said on his podcast recently that the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man mistakenly deported to El Salvador and detained at one point in a notorious megaprison, was a “distraction” from issues such as tariffs. Newsom also said on his podcast's inaugural episode that he opposes trans athletes competing in women's sports.

Polling suggests immigration is Trump's strongest issue and that a majority of Democrats also oppose trans participation in women's sports.

Pritzker on Sunday night said it was no time for Democrats to be in despair.

“Never before in my life have I called for mass protests, for mobilization, for disruption, but I am now,” he said, stressing that the party “must castigate them on the soapbox and then punish them at the ballot box.”

Pritzker has already spoken this year at the Human Rights Campaign’s Los Angeles dinner and is scheduled to headline a Minnesota Democratic dinner in June. He drew national attention in February when he used part of his joint budget and State of the State address to draw a parallel between Trump’s rhetoric and the rise of Nazi Germany.

On Sunday, Pritzker again invoked his Jewish faith, criticizing Trump’s efforts to deport foreign students who participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations. He called on Trump to “stop tearing down the Constitution in the name of my ancestors,” a line that drew a standing ovation from the crowd.

But Pritzker was also adamant in calling out the “do-nothing Democrats,” asserting that while the party “may need to fix our messaging and strategy, our values are exactly where they should be.” He added, “We will never join so many Republicans in a special place in hell reserved for quislings and cowards.”

Lou D'Allesandro, who retired from the New Hampshire State Senate last year after five decades in public service and met Pritzker in Chicago years ago, said the Illinois governor “has all the ingredients to make it to the big time.”

“He's very quick on his feet, very gregarious,” he said. But any Democrat who wants to win in 2028 has their work cut out for them, he said.

“They've got to reintroduce themselves to the grassroots,” he said. “They've got to let people know Democrats care about them, or they're gonna be in big trouble.”

Last year’s featured speaker at the McIntyre-Shaheen 100 Club dinner was Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who went on to become his party's vice presidential nominee.

The annual event is especially significant among state Democratic fundraisers given New Hampshire’s historic role holding the nation’s first presidential primary, though Democrats last year moved South Carolina ahead at the behest of former President Joe Biden.

The first 100 Club dinner was held in 1959 to promote the presidential candidacy of John F. Kennedy. In 2020, speakers included 10 Democratic candidates for president.

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Cappelletti reported from Saugatuck, Michigan.