Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D-IL) took a similarly defiant tone as many Democrats since President-elect Donald Trump won the 2024 election with a warning seemingly pointed at him.
“People have often said that I’m a happy warrior, and I’ve always taken seriously my role as a happy warrior on behalf of this state,” the Illinois governor said at a Thursday press conference. “Even today, when I’m struggling with many of the difficult questions this election poses, my optimism for the future remains undiminished.”
“To anyone who intends to come take away the freedom and opportunity and dignity of Illinoisans: I would remind you that a happy warrior is still a warrior,” he continued. “You come for my people, you come through me.”
While it’s unknown what exactly Pritzker is referring to, he could be referencing Trump’s mass deportation plans. Democrats have fought him on the issue in the past and have used “sanctuary cities” to thwart any such plans in major metropolises.
The Illinois governor also acknowledged that “this time may be different,” but insisted that “Illinois will remain a place of stability and competent governance” no matter what. He also mirrored Vice President Kamala Harris’s comment in her concession speech that “sometimes the fight takes a while.”
“Casting a vote is making a wish for the future. Sometimes you live to see that wish fulfilled, and sometimes you must accept that your vote is a down payment on a house that you may wait a long time to finally live in,” he said.
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Pritzker is not alone in his rhetoric, seemingly toward Trump. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) recently called a special legislative session to “Trump-proof California” before he takes office.
“California is ready to fight,” he said in a post on X. “I just called an emergency special session to help bolster our legal resources and protect our state against any unlawful actions by the incoming Trump Administration. Whether it be our fundamental civil rights, reproductive freedom, or climate action — we refuse to turn back the clock and allow our values and laws to be attacked.”