Governor Pritzker Delivers Warning to Trump: STAY OUT!

4 Sep 2025 · 18 min · 8 chapters

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In short

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker warns that ICE, backed by military plans, will “invade” Chicago in September 2025, aiming to terrorize neighborhoods and provoke unrest before declaring an emergency and using troops.

Guests

Governor J.B. Pritzker (Illinois governor). Interviewer is Ryan Reynolds (appears only as a sponsor host in the transcript; the substantive interview is with Pritzker).

Key claims

ICE officers are amassing at the Great Lakes Naval Base (~300). Lead ICE officer Gregory Bovino is linked to prior Los Angeles tactics and posts violent content online. Pritzker says ICE will use administrative warrants to arrest people without judicial warrants, and that troops doing law enforcement would violate the Posse Comitatus Act.

Notable examples

Alleged ICE disruption of Mexican Independence Day community events; prior ICE actions in Los Angeles and Chicago neighborhoods (e.g., Pilsen, Little Village); mention of Dr. Phil accompanying early Trump-era ICE activity.

Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.

Chapters

Tap a time to open that second in VO

Chicago's Low Homicide Rate and Trump's Threat

1:05 to 2:04

Explore Chicago's recent public safety achievements amidst Trump’s call for military intervention.

“Every company is investing in AI, but most only have a small group actually using it, and a large group who tried and didn't see the value.”

Chicago's Low Homicide Rate and Trump's Threat

2:08 to 3:00

Explore Chicago's recent public safety achievements amidst Trump’s call for military intervention.

“The summer had its lowest homicide rate in Chicago in 60 years.”

Governor Pritzker's Press Conference on ICE Disruptions

3:00 to 5:20

Governor Pritzker discusses the threat of ICE disrupting community events in Chicago.

“Let's be clear, the terror and cruelty is the point, not the safety of anyone living here.”

The Implications of Military Action in Chicago

5:20 to 10:00

Governor Pritzker elaborates on the dangers of military action being taken in American cities.

“people and they're under attack by ICE and maybe soon by military troops.”

Legal Perspectives on Military Invasion

10:00 to 14:00

A discussion on the legality and potential responses to military actions against civilians.

“They're just using administrative warrants.”

The Global Context of Trump's Actions

14:00 to 15:53

Explore how Trump's behavior impacts the global order and perception of the U.S.

“And I'm sitting here as an American saying, our leaders out there posting this weird stuff.”

Call to Action for Viewers

16:03 to 16:14

Encouraging listeners to subscribe and support independent media.

“Support independent media and unlock exclusive content, ad-free videos, and custom emojis by becoming a paid member of our YouTube channel today.”

Call to Action for Viewers

16:54 to 17:24

Encouraging listeners to subscribe and support independent media.

“Plus, every product is 100 % vegan, cruelty-free, and made with clean, skin-loving ingredients that work with your skin.”
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Transcript

Automatic transcript. May contain errors.

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1:56Ben Meiselas:No re-entering your information. No saxophone solos. And Jerry keeps checking rates for you. So you're not back on hold six months from now. Visit jerry.ai slash Libsyn today. Let me just show you what Chicago looked like last night so you can just see for yourself. a beautiful city right here. The summer had its lowest homicide rate in Chicago in 60 years. And this is the city right here that Donald Trump wants to invade right now with the United States military. We have Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker holding a press conference the other day where he says cruelty is the point. They chose September particularly to go after a very specific event that takes place here.

2:40Ben Meiselas:Here, play this quote. We have reason to believe that Stephen Miller chose the month of September to come to Chicago because of celebrations around Mexican Independence Day that happen here every year. It breaks my heart to report that we have been told ICE will try and disrupt community picnics and peaceful parades. Let's be clear, the terror and cruelty is the point, not the safety of anyone living here. And Tom Homan said the following. Democrats continue to go after this removal of violent, illegal criminal aliens. So when you get pushback as you head into Chicago from people like Mayor Johnson, what's your message to the mayor?

3:26Ben Meiselas:Get out of the way, because we're going to do it. Let's bring in Governor J.B. Pritzker of Illinois. Governor, it's great to see you. What's the latest right now that you can report on what's going on? Well, it appears that they are amassing the ICE officers at the Great Lakes Naval Base, along with some military vehicles. It's been reported that there are about 300 of those officers that are planning on coming in and doing what they did in Los Angeles, which is terrorize the neighborhoods and cause mayhem. They're hoping in the end, their plan is to cause enough mayhem on the ground that they'll have to call in troops to protect the ICE officials.

4:11So that's what their aim is. It's not actually to effectuate removal of violent criminals. So, you know, this is, what they're doing is dangerous. What they're doing is un-American. and the idea that you're going to call military troops in to an American city. I just you can't fathom it. You couldn't make this up. But here it is. And the question, I think, for all of us is, are we going to stand up and let it and push back? Are we just going to let it happen? And at least in Chicago, I think there's a common belief that I think people will protest peacefully. I've encouraged people to get out their iPhones and their Android devices and film everything they see from the ICE officials.

4:57And then we've made sure that people on the streets know their rights. I'm talking about the people who are being gone after just because of the color of their skin. They're being targeted by ICE or whether they've got an accent when they speak. And some of them are American citizens. Some of them are people who've been here for decades, raising families, holding down jobs, paying taxes. These are good people and they're under attack by ICE and maybe soon by military troops.

5:27Ben Meiselas:So a two phase plan that they have right away. And could you imagine in September 2025, we're talking about the federal government with a military invasion plan in a state in Illinois, in the United States of America. And the plan, as you describe it, is ICE builds up, terrorize the city, try to provoke people, then declare an emergency, then bring in military force, call in the National Guard, call in the Marines, and then occupy Chicago, occupy maybe even other parts of the state, and literally have an invasion. When I use language like that, am I being hyperbolic or is that what's happening?

6:15It's an invasion. If they send American troops into an American city, it's an invasion. I want to point out that the ICE folks that are showing up here are being led by the same guy. In fact, the people that are showing up are the same people that were in Los Angeles. Same exact people. And Gregory Bovino is the name of the lead ICE officer who is bringing these ICE people into Chicago. And, you know, this is a guy who has an account on X on Twitter that where he extols the virtues of tackling people and, you know, putting their, you know, his knee on their head or, you know, chasing down people who've thrown a sandwich at an ICE officer.

7:02And, you know, this guy, honestly, he is ready made for reality TV, which is what Donald Trump loves. And so that's what he's going to be doing on the ground. Remember when they first came into Chicago, Tom Homan, by the way, who appears like he's got a problem. He's mumbling. He can barely get words out of his mouth now. It seems to be a problem that Donald Trump shares with him, too. But, you know, they are saying essentially that, you know, they want this kind of reality TV show look. When they first came, they brought Dr. Phil with them. Dr. Phil, this is on like the first days of the Trump administration coming into Chicago, attacking our neighborhoods, Pilsen, Little Village, taking on our Latino community and immigrants.

7:50And, you know, they're doing it with social media promoters. So this is what they're all about. It's the show so that Donald Trump can get his narcissistic aims met.

8:03Ben Meiselas:We saw that ruling in the federal court in my neck of the woods in California that the policing functions of the military violates the Posse Comitatus Act. Is there legal action on the horizon? You know, if someone were to say to a person, I'm going to kill you, you could get a restraining order against them. And it's like a TRO is Trump is saying I'm going to do the equivalent. I'm coming into your city. I'm going to use them as police force. He's saying it. The Department of Homeland Security realizes that Trump's saying it wrong and giving away the game plan. So they try to use a little different.

8:45Ben Meiselas:No, no, no. It's the federal buildings. but we all know what they're actually trying to do. Could there be a preemptive posse comitatus injunctive relief type action, or do you have to wait until they actually do it? What happens there on the legal front? So you can't do a preemptive suit. What you can do is the moment they sort of trip the wire and actually do something that we know is unconstitutional, And according to that ruling that you're referring to in California, where they're attempting to do law enforcement, I'm talking about troops now doing law enforcement. That is when you can, you know, we and we are ready.

9:24We are going into court immediately when they trip that wire. So we know what's coming. We will do that. We have been also preparing the communities, people who just need to know their rights. They got to know that an administrative warrant does not allow someone from ICE to break down your door to arrest you. ICE will grab people off the streets, but they can't break into your home and get you unless they have a judicial warrant. And then, you know, that we will honor, that they have a right to do, as they do with any criminals that they go after. But they're not getting those. They're just using administrative warrants.

10:05And you know what an administrative warrant is? It's an ICE officer basically just signing a piece of paper that says he thinks that he should be able to arrest somebody, not a prosecutor, a defense attorney, a judge, you know, nobody in a court situation, but only the ICE officer who's not trained to issue warrants now has the ability to do that under our current immigration laws. So it's a dangerous situation where you're essentially letting Tom Homan and Gregory Bovino make the rules for themselves. And we're pushing back on that. So we're making sure everybody knows their rights. We're making sure that we're ready to go to court immediately to stop them from doing anything unconstitutional.

10:52And we're encouraging people that are going to come out and protest to do so peacefully and also to bring their cameras, because making sure that the folks like you and other people on social media and other people in the mainstream media have the actual video of what Gregory Bovino and ICE are really doing on the ground to incite violence.

11:15Ben Meiselas:What's your message right now to the White House? Not a day goes by where Trump doesn't mention you. I mean, I see every one of those press conferences. He brings you up. He posts things about you on social media every single day. And some of them are so ridiculous that it's like, it's frankly embarrassing to the United States of America and throughout the world with the stuff that he does. But what's your message over to them right now as we're here September 4th, 2025, on the eve of a potential invasion of Illinois? My message is don't come to Chicago. Don't bring troops, military troops to the streets of an American city.

11:57Don't do it. We will go to court to stop you. And the people of Chicago won't stand for it. And the people of America won't stand for it. You know, you've seen the polling data. The vast majority of Americans do not want American troops in American cities. That's not where they belong. They belong protecting our borders and protecting our country from foreign invasion and from foreign in foreign wars. We have sent our National Guard to fight for us, to protect us in the Middle East and elsewhere, in Europe, in Asia. They do that regularly. That's what they're trained to do. They're not trained to do civilian law enforcement.

12:39I want FBI. I want ATF, DEA. We're fighting drugs and gangs and guns every day on the streets. And I want civilian law enforcement from the federal government as well as our state government and local law enforcement. to work together to make sure that we're reducing crime. By the way, we've reduced crime significantly in the city of Chicago and the state of Illinois. We are in the bottom half in terms of high violent crime of the states. We're 19th best in the country. I'd like to be first best in the country. But 19th is way better than the president is indicating. And the city of Chicago isn't even in the top 25 most dangerous violent crime cities.

13:23So he needs to do a little reading. I know he doesn't do much of that. And instead, maybe someone can inform him what the facts are. But he seems a little obsessed with me and with Chicago. Maybe he's got Pritzker derangement syndrome. But maybe, again, he could just take a beat, learn a few things, and focus elsewhere, or maybe on protecting the country from the axis of evil that is beginning to form between China, Russia, North Korea, and they're drawing in India now.

13:56Ben Meiselas:You see that, right? As he's doing these types of things right here, the world leaders were out there literally laughing at him in Tianjin. And I'm sitting here as an American saying, our leaders out there posting this weird stuff. And he's behaving in this way in the Oval Office. And he's covering up, releasing the Epstein files. And look what's happening in the rest of the world. I mean, this is part of a broader context, right, of a restructuring of the global order. While he's invading states, other countries are like, see you later, United States. And new power poles are forming. I'll let you comment on that before we go.

14:38Yeah, I mean, you've said it, the international situation is getting worse and worse. And it's harming not just our reputation and our military standing and our international standing. It's harming the economy of the United States because people are losing faith that indeed we are the standard bearers of the world, that we are the standard bearers of democracy. People are losing faith in that. And I'm just, I mean, it's shocking to me. He's attacking governors and mayors across the country in the United States and not standing up to Vladimir Putin or Xi in China. The world is topsy-turvy. We need something new.

15:19We need to stand up to Trump. We need to win in 2026 and keep him from disrupting the elections in 2026, which is his aim. That is his aim with this National Guard movement. he wants to normalize the idea of troops on the ground, military in American cities, so that when he does it in 2026 and takes control of some elections because he doesn't like the outcome, that we'll say, oh, well, I guess it's OK. They are the military and we've seen them here. That's not normal and none of us should stand for it.

15:53Ben Meiselas:Governor Pritzker, thanks for your time, as always, and thanks for fighting back against this regime. We appreciate you. Come back and let us know what's happening there. Great to see you. Everybody hit subscribe. Let's get to 6 million. Love this video? Support independent media and unlock exclusive content, ad-free videos, and custom emojis by becoming a paid member of our YouTube channel today. You can also gift memberships to others. Let's keep growing together.

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From the publisher

MeidasTouch host Ben Meiselas reports on Donald Trump’s imminent invasion of Chicago and Meiselas interviews Illinois Governor JB Pritzker who delivers a final warning to Donald.

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