Tempers flared and rhetoric reached new heights last month as Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and President Donald Trump escalated their war of words over education policy and the controversial deployment of National Guard troops to Chicago. The clash, which has played out both in fiery speeches and in federal court, highlights deepening partisan divides in American politics—and the growing willingness of leaders to pull no punches, even in front of the nation’s educators.
On October 19, 2025, Governor Pritzker took the stage at the Illinois Federation of Teachers’ triennial convention in Rosemont. Addressing a crowd of thousands, the Democratic governor—often floated as a potential 2028 presidential contender—unleashed a blistering critique of Trump and his Republican allies. In a moment that quickly went viral, Pritzker declared, “Donald Trump and his cronies can f--- all the way off,” drawing a standing ovation and raucous applause from the progressive audience, according to coverage from the Chicago Sun-Times.
The governor’s remarks were not limited to salty language. Pritzker accused the Trump administration of systematically undermining the U.S. Department of Education, claiming, “President Trump and his bootlickers have torn down the U.S. Dept. of Education from the inside. Instead of helping to improve math and reading scores like you all are doing and supporting our educators, they’re making it harder for students to get ahead.” He went on to allege that Republicans were banning books, erasing history, diverting billions from public schools to private institutions, punishing teachers for telling the truth, criminalizing educators supporting LGBTQ students, and turning classrooms into “cultural war battlegrounds.”
Pritzker’s speech, which included further jabs at Republicans for opposing teacher pay raises and collective bargaining rights, was notable for its raw tone. “They honestly don’t believe in what you do,” he told the assembled educators. “They don’t respect who you are and they sure as hell don’t care about the kids that you serve. Here in Illinois, we’re not backing down.” The video of his remarks began circulating widely on social media beginning November 2, 2025, amplifying already simmering tensions between the state and the Trump White House.
This latest outburst was not an isolated incident. Pritzker has a long history of criticizing Trump, although he has typically kept his language more restrained. He has previously lambasted the administration’s aggressive deportation campaigns, cuts to food assistance programs, and other conservative priorities. At one point, amid Trump’s push to send the National Guard into Chicago, Pritzker even suggested the president was “suffering from dementia.”
But if Pritzker’s rhetoric was sharp, Trump’s was no less so. Just days before the governor’s speech, the former president made headlines of his own by telling reporters that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro “doesn’t want to f— around with the United States.” On October 8, Trump took to Truth Social to call for the jailing of Chicago’s mayor over the city’s handling of ICE officers, adding, “Governor Pritzker also!”
These verbal volleys unfolded against the backdrop of a much more consequential confrontation: the Trump administration’s decision to federalize and deploy National Guard troops to Chicago. On October 4 and 5, 2025, the Defense Department, led by Secretary Pete Hegseth, ordered 300 Illinois National Guard members and 400 from Texas to the city. The troops arrived on October 8, despite fierce opposition from both Governor Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson.
The state of Illinois and the city of Chicago responded by filing a lawsuit on October 6, arguing that the deployment was unlawful and unconstitutional. Their complaint, detailed in Reason magazine, contended that the action violated the Posse Comitatus Act and the 10th Amendment, infringing on Illinois’s sovereignty and right to self-governance. The suit echoed a similar legal battle in Oregon, where U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut had granted a temporary restraining order against federalizing that state’s National Guard just days earlier. Judge Immergut ruled that plaintiffs were “likely to succeed on their claim that the President’s federalization…exceeded his statutory authority” and “violated the Tenth Amendment.” She emphasized, “Whether we choose to follow what the Constitution mandates goes to the heart of what it means to live under the rule of law in the United States.”
Despite the Oregon court’s order, the Trump administration pressed ahead, attempting to send out-of-state troops to Oregon—a move Judge Immergut blocked with a second restraining order. Illinois plaintiffs argued that the same rationale should apply to their case, asserting that the decision to deploy troops “was made long before recent events” and was not justified by the “small, primarily peaceful” protests outside the Broadview ICE facility in suburban Chicago.
Pritzker’s condemnation of the deployment was unequivocal. In a public statement, he called it “outrageous and un-American,” labeling it “Trump’s Invasion.” He wrote, “The Trump Administration’s Department of War gave me an ultimatum: call up your troops, or we will.” After the Texas National Guard was deployed, he added, “We must now start calling this what it is: Trump’s Invasion.”
For Pritzker, the issue was not just legal—it was deeply personal and political. He accused the Trump administration of using National Guard members as “political props,” urging, “This is a moment where every American must speak up and help stop this madness.” The complaint filed by Illinois and Chicago also cited Trump’s history of hostile rhetoric toward Chicago’s leaders, including a Truth Social post that Pritzker described as a “threat of war.”
Trump, for his part, escalated his attacks, calling Pritzker “incompetent” and “stupid” in a speech to hundreds of generals and admirals. He even suggested using large Democrat-run cities like Chicago as “training grounds” for the military—a proposal that alarmed local officials and civil liberties advocates alike.
The standoff has left Illinois and Chicago in a legal limbo, awaiting a court decision that could set a precedent for federal intervention in state affairs. In the meantime, the war of words shows no sign of abating. For many Illinois educators and residents, Pritzker’s defiant stand has been a rallying cry. For Trump supporters, it’s further evidence of partisan obstructionism.
As both sides dig in, the battle over education, federal authority, and the limits of presidential power continues to play out—not just in courtrooms and convention halls, but in the hearts and minds of Americans across the country. Whether this latest clash will reshape the balance of power between Washington and the states remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: neither side is backing down.
