Pritzker claims country under Trump worse than COVID pandemic where people died 'in droves'

Gov. JB Pritzker, D-Ill., said during a podcast on Tuesday that the current political "moment" was "slightly worse" than the COVID pandemic, despite the many deaths COVID caused.

"I've Had It" host Jennifer Welch asked Pritzker how he was doing, and the governor said that while every day was a blessing, he's often asked about whether the current Trump administration was comparable the situation Americans were in during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"It's been challenging," he said. "I've been asked, is this like COVID, you know, the moment that we're in. Is it like every day, the challenges that we face? And the answer is, I think it's maybe slightly worse than COVID, even though obviously people were dying in the United States in droves because of what Donald Trump was doing with regard to COVID. But it's a really challenging moment."

The Illinois governor referenced comments he made in 2025 where he compared the Trump administration to the rise of Nazi Germany.

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"The authoritarian playbook is laid bare here: They point to a group of people who don't look like you and tell you to blame them for your problems. If you think I'm overreacting and sounding the alarm too soon, consider this: It took the Nazis one month, three weeks, two days, eight hours, and 40 minutes to dismantle a constitutional republic," Pritzker said in February 2025. 

Pritzker said Tuesday the right attacked him for the comments and argued that his assertion held up in today's climate.

"And you know, people on the right attacked me and said, 'How dare you? How dare you?' People on the left were quiet and didn't back it up. Now, what do you know? Twelve months later, well, a lot more people anyway among Democrats are saying, 'Yeah, this feels like Germany in the 1930s.' And of course, Republicans just won't own it," Pritzker told the "I've Had It" hosts.

Welch also asked the governor if he thought he would run for president in 2028. Pritzker is considered to be a top contender for the nomination if he throws his hat in the ring.

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"I'm flattered, I am, and that people have talked about it," he said. "And I honestly have not been able to answer that question because I don't know. I'm running for re-election as governor, and it's an unusual thing, because, in Illinois anyway, even though we have no limits on the number of terms that you can serve, it's very unusual for anybody to run for a third term as governor. I think I would be the second person ever to do that."

The governor said that he was deeply concerned about the country, and planned to use the platform he has to speak out about it.

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Pritzker, a billionaire, has been confronted on his wealth as progressives continue to rail against the rich. He told the "I've Had It" hosts that he ran on lowering taxes for the working class and raising taxes on people like himself.

After the interview, Welch called Pritzker a billionaire that's willing to say, "Tax me more."

"J.B. Pritzker is an incompetent governor who has repeatedly rejected President Trump's generous offer to address the crime crisis in his state," White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers told Fox News Digital. "Instead of lying in media interviews and deluding himself into believing he has chance of becoming president, he should focus on fixing his state and do his job."