In possible DNC preview, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker mocks ex-President Donald Trump

CHICAGO — Before a captive crowd of national media members in Chicago on Wednesday, Gov. J.B. Pritzker heaped scorn upon former President Donald Trump, saying the presumptive GOP presidential nominee is cruel, wants to be a dictator and is “waiting to become the first felon elected president.”

The remarks, made at a media gathering at the United Center in preparation for this August’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago, hinted at just some of the barbs certain to be aimed at Trump this summer and highlighted the attack-dog surrogate role Pritzker is playing in the 2024 presidential campaign.

The comments also continued to boost Pritzker’s national profile as he underscored Democrats’ efforts to draw a bright line between President Joe Biden’s record and plans for a second term and Trump’s often-tumultuous single term as president.

“It’s a choice between kindness and cruelty, between a president who stands up against hatred and extremism or a candidate who promises to be a dictator and makes excuses for white supremacists who chant, ‘Jews will not replace us,’ ” Pritzker said, citing participants’ shouts during the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, an event Trump described as including “very fine people on both sides.”

“It’s a choice between a president who wakes up every morning working to improve the lives of families across this country or a guy who spends all day watching TV or flatulating in a courtroom, waiting to become the first felon elected president,” the governor said, referencing rumors of the ex-president’s behavior during his ongoing hush money trial in New York.

Pritzker was joined by both local and national Democrats who gathered as part of a media walkthrough at the United Center, which along with McCormick Place will serve as the main settings for the Aug. 19-22 gathering. The two-term Illinois governor was instrumental in bringing the DNC to Chicago and he’s expected to use the event to raise his national profile amid speculation he’s eyeing a potential White House bid after 2024.

The Republican convention is being held in July in Milwaukee.

Pritzker even used Biden’s age — something even some Democrats are concerned about — as a rallying point. Biden is 81 and Trump is 77.

“Age isn’t what distinguishes these two candidates from one another,” Pritzker said. “Donald Trump was stupid and ignorant long before he got old.

“The contrast between these two is genuinely stark, and I am truly excited to help remind the nation of that in August.”

Among those also on stage were Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, Democratic National Committee chair Jaime Harrison, Biden senior adviser Anita Dunn and convention officials.

Johnson, who has had a rocky early relationship with the City Hall press corps, told the assembled members of the media that his goal for the convention is “to show off to the rest of the world why the city of Chicago is a beautiful place.”

“I’m looking forward to your collaborative approach to how we can carry that message so that people around the globe will also come to know the truth around why President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris deserve four more years,” Johnson said.

Harrison, who as DNC chair will preside over the convention, said the gathering aims to inspire committed Democrats along with independents and young voters who could be key to a potential Biden victory in November.

“While the Republican convention will be mired in chaos, fear and division, the Democrats will host a hopeful convention, providing all Americans an important moment to celebrate our freedoms and come together as a nation,” Harrison said. “It will be a historic celebration of the work behind us and a preview of the work still to come.”

Despite the Democrats’ efforts to convey messages of hope and unity, however, Biden and the party continue to be dogged by disunity among some core constituencies, particularly over the president’s support for Israel in its war against Hamas in Gaza.

Both Wednesday’s media preview at the United Center and a Tuesday evening gathering at Garfield Park Conservatory on the West Side drew protesters critical of Biden’s Israel policy. Some of the groups involved have vowed to protest during the DNC without the required permits from the city.

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