I was joined this week by Illinois Governor JB Pritzker for a sobering but necessary conversation about what is unfolding right now across the country under the Trump regime. As we spoke, federal agents were once again flooding city streets, including in Minneapolis and Chicago, carrying out what the administration insists are “law enforcement operations,” but which look and feel far more like an occupying force.
I asked the governor directly how he views what is happening as Trump openly floats invoking the Insurrection Act, even as troops and heavily armed federal agents are already operating in American cities. Pritzker did not hedge. He said this moment has been characterized correctly as an invasion. While the National Guard was ultimately blocked after legal challenges reached the Supreme Court, the administration did not retreat. Instead, it escalated, doubling down by deploying ICE and Customs and Border Protection agents in military-style uniforms, carrying automatic weapons, marching through downtown Chicago and residential neighborhoods alike.
What followed in Illinois is critical for the country to understand. Pritzker pointed to the killing of Silverio Villegas González, who was shot after dropping his children off at daycare. According to the governor, the federal government lied in the immediate aftermath, just as it has done in other recent killings. Only video evidence and eyewitness testimony revealed the truth. The same pattern repeated in other cases, including that of Marimar Martinez, who was shot multiple times in her car. Officials claimed she boxed agents in and acted aggressively. Every charge was later dropped when the story collapsed under scrutiny.
This is not accidental. Pritzker stressed that federal agencies are following a deliberate playbook. Peaceful protest, he said, is essential. Staying loud without giving the administration an excuse to escalate further is how Illinois residents forced accountability. Filming everything, pulling out phones, documenting encounters, and taking the evidence to court is how the state won repeatedly against federal overreach. The courts mattered. Evidence mattered. And people showing up mattered.
One of the most chilling parts of our discussion centered on tactics. I looked through the litigation myself and noticed that for decades, Chicago police had not used chemical gas against protesters. Yet now, federal agents routinely deploy tear gas and other noxious substances against peaceful demonstrators standing on sidewalks, blowing whistles, chanting, and filming. Scenes of masked agents in military fatigues throwing gas canisters directly into crowds, causing people to choke, and now becoming normalized in Trump’s America. These are not de-escalation tactics. They are paramilitary tactics associated with authoritarian regimes, not democratic societies.
One can draw a straight line between what Americans are seeing and the methods used by authoritarian governments abroad, where armed collectives terrorize civilians to protect leaders and crush dissent. The difference now is that those tactics are being deployed here at home, under the direction of a president who has openly questioned whether elections should even be held if Republicans might lose.
The governor did not mince words about motive. He noted how Trump has been threatening democracy since at least 2020, when he denied election results and floated using the National Guard to stay in power. Now, Pritzker argued, the goal is fear. Fear among undocumented communities, fear among citizens who might speak out, and ultimately fear that suppresses turnout in 2026. He described CBP’s expansion as something closer to a personal army, built quickly, inadequately trained, and stocked with ideological MAGA loyalists fast-tracked onto the streets.
At the same time, Pritzker acknowledged a reality that too often gets lost. Democracy alone is not what people wake up thinking about every day. People are worried about paying electric bills, buying groceries, keeping healthcare coverage, and earning enough to support their families. Those concerns are real, and they are worsening. Electricity prices are rising. Healthcare subsidies have lapsed, pushing people off their plans. Grocery prices surged again in December. Yet Trump continues to declare a “golden age” while staging grotesque displays of excess at Mar-a-Lago and embarking on personal vanity projects funded by taxpayers.
Pritzker spoke directly to voters who supported Trump in good faith, believing his promises. Inflation did not end on day one. Energy costs did not fall. Instead, policies targeting renewables are driving prices higher. While families struggle, Trump is focused on tearing down and rebuilding ballrooms, gilded and indulgent, distractions that serve only himself.
Before we wrapped, I asked Pritzker what lessons he would share with other governors and with the American people as the administration escalates its authoritarian tactics. His answer was clear: resistance works. Illinois fought back and won in court. Other cities have done the same. Judges still exist who will uphold the law. Elected officials still exist who will do the right thing. Even some Republicans are beginning to realize this is not what they voted for.
Pritzker’s message was simple and urgent. This is the moment. If you believe in the Constitution, in freedom, and in the idea of America, this is when you stand up. Protest peacefully. Document everything. Speak out in everyday life. Be loud for America. According to Pritzker, it is already working, but it requires more people willing to step forward.
As we ended the conversation, one thing was unmistakable. The stakes are no longer theoretical. What happens next depends on whether Americans choose fear or accountability, silence or participation. The path forward exists, but only if people decide to take it.
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