Gov. JB Pritzker of Illinois, one of the most prominent Democrats leading opposition to President Donald Trump, has canceled his appearance at a weekend political event in Palm Beach County.
He was supposed to be the keynote speaker for the county Democratic Party’s annual Truman-Kennedy-Johnson Gala. His appearance at the Saturday night dinner was scheduled months ago, but current events intervened.
“Due to President Trump’s unprecedented federal overreach in sending armed military troops into the city of Chicago, Governor Pritzker made the right decision to remain at home supporting the people of Illinois,” Howard Richman, county Democratic Party chair, said in a statement late Thursday night. “We understand that the well-being of his state and his city come first. We wish him and all Americans well as this authoritarian power grab continues.”
Illinois, and its largest city, Chicago, have been among the prime targets of Trump’s efforts to go after Democratic states and cities. Trump has dispatched federal agents and attempted to deploy the National Guard, actions that Pritzker and local officials said aren’t needed and aren’t welcome.
The situation escalated Wednesday. “Chicago Mayor should be in jail for failing to protect Ice Officers! Governor Pritzker also!” Trump wrote on his social media platform.
Pritzker was defiant. “I will not back down,” he wrote on social media. “Trump is now calling for the arrest of elected representatives checking his power. What else is left on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?”’
He later told reporters that Trump “is a convicted felon. Think about that. (He) is threatening to jail me. I got to say, this guy’s unhinged. He’s insecure. He’s a wannabe dictator.”
The two-term Illinois governor is widely seen as a potential candidate for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination. Appearing at the party dinner in West Palm Beach would have allowed him to offer a critique of Trump from, figuratively, the president’s backyard. During cooler months of the year, Trump spends much of his weekend time at Mar-a-Lago, his home and club in Palm Beach.
Pritzker doesn’t mince words when it comes to Trump. On Tuesday, at a forum in Minnesota, the New York Times reported that Pritzker said Trump was “out of his mind and has dementia.”
The Democratic dinner Saturday night will still take place, Richman said, with speeches from members of Congress and state Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried.
This report includes information from the Chicago Tribune.
Political writer Anthony Man can be reached at aman@sunsentinel.com and can be found @browardpolitics on Bluesky, Threads, Facebook and Mastodon.
