In an interview with POLITICO’s Dasha Burns for The Conversation, Pritzker praised Chicago for achieving double-digit reductions in violent crime. He said those improvements came despite what he called federal cutbacks under Trump’s leadership.

“We’ve been building up our police forces, including the state police under my command,” Pritzker said. “Frankly, the money that the federal government used to send to us has now been cut off under him.”

The governor argued that Trump has repeatedly exaggerated violence in Democratic-led cities like Chicago and Portland to justify his hardline rhetoric and federal crackdowns. Pritzker accused the president of turning misinformation into political propaganda.

“He just says things over and over again, hoping people will believe him,” Pritzker said. “It’s propaganda, and it’s not true.”

Legal Battles Over Federal Troops

The exchange comes as the White House continues pushing to deploy National Guard troops to Chicago, a move Pritzker and local leaders strongly oppose. Earlier this month, a federal judge blocked the administration’s deployment order, calling it an overreach. Although an appeals court later allowed the federalization of troops, it kept in place the ban on sending them into the city.

Chicago and Illinois have also been caught in a broader political fight over federal funding. Trump has frozen billions of dollars in aid to Democratic states, including Illinois, intensifying tensions between the White House and state governments.

“Lies Have Consequences,” Says Pritzker

Pritzker blamed Trump’s crime narrative for fueling division and fear, saying the president’s rhetoric distorts the reality of public safety progress in major cities.

“Again, Portland isn’t on fire,” he said. “But if he says it enough times and it’s repeated in the media or on podcasts, people start believing it.”

The Illinois governor has also condemned the Trump administration’s growing use of federal power to target Democratic states. He insists his state won’t be intimidated and that Illinois will continue pursuing its own public safety strategy—one focused on state and local control rather than military intervention.

A Broader Political Showdown

The clash between Pritzker and Trump has become one of the sharpest examples of the ongoing federal-versus-state battle over law enforcement, immigration, and local authority. Pritzker has emerged as one of Trump’s most vocal critics, portraying himself as a defender of constitutional limits and state autonomy.

With both men raising their national profiles ahead of the 2026 midterms, the political fight over crime and control of the streets has become a defining issue — and a preview of the broader confrontation still to come.