“Can You Actually Talk Without Mentioning Trump?”: JB Pritzker Faces Backlash After Branding Trump a Liar

It took one short clip to set off another round of the feud. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker posted a video in which he accuses President Donald Trump of misleading working Americans — and within hours, his replies were flooded with supporters cheering him on and critics telling him to find a new subject. The line that lit the fuse was blunt: “Everything that comes out of Donald Trump’s mouth is lies, lies, and more lies.”

Pritzker shared the clip on X on October 23, 2026. In it, he says Trump is trying to convince working people that he is fighting for them, and calls the president a liar outright. He also says the Republican Party “doubles down on lies,” and frames the country’s political split not as Democrats against Republicans but as “Team Fight and Team Caves.” It is the latest shot in a rivalry that goes back to at least 2018, and one that sharpened in 2025 after Trump floated sending National Guard troops to Chicago to crack down on crime.

Pritzker has long been one of Trump’s loudest critics among Democratic governors, a role that wins him praise from his own side and constant fire from the other. This clip was no different. The question now is not whether people reacted — it is which reaction says more about where the country stands.

x.com/JBPritzker/status/2113644186968678802

The Backlash Online

Criticism came fast on X. One user shot back: “You are not running against Trump. You are, however, planning a color revolution, aren’t you?” Another went further, calling him a modern-day Guy Fawkes figure leading a conspiracy against the government — though Pritzker said nothing about a revolution or changing the Constitution in the clip itself.

Others simply mocked how often Trump comes up in the governor’s posts. “Can you actually talk without mentioning Trump?” one person asked. Another flipped the accusation entirely, writing: “Pritzker is a habitual liar and a conman. He has destroyed Illinois with high taxes and has made our state a sanctuary for criminals and illegals.” A different critic argued that everything out of the governor’s mouth is “projection, taxes, and more taxes,” and pointed to Trump’s tax cuts on tips and overtime as a contrast.

Over on Instagram, though, Pritzker found friendlier ground, with one commenter writing simply: “I totally agree with you.” That split is the story in miniature. To his supporters, Pritzker is saying what needs saying about a president they distrust. To his critics, he is a governor obsessed with one man while his own state struggles. Neither side shows any sign of moving — and the next clip will probably start the whole argument over again.