‘Big Cities Have Crime’: Dem 2028 Hopeful Blows Off Deadly Chicago Weekend, Attacks Trump

Governor JB Pritzker (D-IL) blew off concerns about the rampant crime in Chicago, saying that “big cities have crime” and the real problem was still President Donald Trump.

Pritzker has been sparring with Trump of late over the president’s threat to send National Guard troops to Chicago, hoping to clean up the city in much the same way he did in Washington, D.C., and has said that he’s doing well enough without bringing in the Guard.

Pritzker responded to a reporter who noted that he’d likely face more pointed questions after an especially deadly Labor Day weekend — according to ABC News, there were 37 separate shootings between Friday evening and Monday night — that left 58 shot and eight dead.

WATCH:

REPORTER: “This past weekend, 54 shot, 7 dead…”@GovPritzker: “Big cities have crime”

President Trump finds this completely unacceptable — and his success in Washington, D.C. has proven that Americans don’t have to live this way. pic.twitter.com/vaKj5fxvSa

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) September 2, 2025

“You’re going to hear people, especially after this past weekend — 54 shot, seven dead,” the reporter began. “They’re going to say the city’s not safe. Would you ask your friends to ride the El [elevated train] after midnight? You know, or after nine o’clock at night, even, to go down to the city from O’Hare [International Airport]?”

“Look, big cities have crime, there’s no doubt about it,” Pritzker said, before pivoting to attack Trump. “But let’s just pay attention to what President Trump is doing, targeting Chicago. He’s overlooking red states that have much higher crime rates.”

Pritzker has made that argument several times before, arguing that some of the cities with the highest crime rates are in red states — and he is correct, but leaves out the fact that of the 20 cities with the highest murder rates, all but one are controlled by Democrats. St. Louis, for example, currently has the highest murder rate and is in a very red state — Missouri — but is run by a Democrat, Mayor Cara Spencer.