During the White House Turkey pardon, Trump aims at the Illinois governor
TOI GLOBAL DESK | TOI GLOBAL | Nov 30, 2025, 18:43 IST
During the annual Thanksgiving turkey pardon, President Donald Trump took the opportunity to castigate Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, charging them with neglecting the crime problem and resisting federal aid. Trump, moreover, invalidated last year's turkey pardons, criticised President Biden, and justified recent National Guard operations.
TL;DR
As President Trump was pardoning the White House turkey, he attacked Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and the Chicago mayor for their "irresponsible" management of crime, wondered why turkeys were being pardoned this year at all, and claimed that he was responsible for the public safety measures that came about during his administration.
At the annual White House Thanksgiving turkey pardon, President Donald Trump did not mince his words in criticising Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson.
Before the guests were invited to the event, Trump, in the Rose Garden, lashed out at what he had experienced as a mere "resistance" of officials from Illinois to federal aid that is necessary to bring the violent crime rates in Chicago down.
In his criticism of the administrations in state and city, Trump mentioned that the powers holding the reins were the ones responsible for crime spiraling out of control and pointed to his earlier suggestions to them for a more effective collaboration with federal cops in which he included the National Guard. “The mayor is incompetent and the governor is a big fat slob,” the president said, mocking Johnson and Pritzker. “If he were the right guy, he would say come on in and lend a hand to make Chicago safe.”
This funny moment at the event when Trump traditionally absolves two turkeys of the holiday held in a lighthearted manner was interrupted by his salvo of barbs aimed at a sitting governor that led to quick national coverage. Trump was of a mind to crack a joke at the expense of Pritzker but refrained from doing so because he doesn't generally make comments about people's weight, although he himself repeated the insult.
This year, the White House ceremony revolved around two turkeys named Gobble and Waddle, which is in keeping with the long tradition of the festive events hosted by presidents. Assailing Biden, Trump claimed that a signing was done by the autopen without the President’s direct involvement when the pardon was effected last year. Upon determining this, Trump declared that the pardons he did were “totally invalid” but he did not go any further with the idea in his statement.
Trump also brought up his administration's overall policy on national security and crime prevention as an example. He mentioned that the National Guard had been sent to support the local police in cities such as Portland and Chicago and also in Washington, D.C., where he stated that the problem of crime is due to illegal immigration and that the reason for the troops was to counter that. The National Guard troops that were slated to be pulled out last week in Portland and Chicago after a couple of lawsuits had been filed by state and city officials.
Without much delay, a representative for Gov. Pritzker signaling the governor's stance came out and issued a statement indicating that the governor had already expressed many times that in most interviews the state would see to it public safety should be run without military.
Experts in the field of public policy point out that it is quite usual for there to be disagreements between feds and state on day-to-day matters of the National Guard as an intervention by them may cause concerns about resuming control over that under the area of jurisdiction. As per a research conducted by the Brookings Institution in 2024, intervention by a federal authority blaming local law enforcement can not only lead to disputes politically but also takes precedence over discussing policy choices.
Though the Thanksgiving event is generally a gesture of kindness and seasonal cheer, Trump's interventions here highlight the political conflicts revolving around the issues of crime, immigration, and executive power which the country is dealing with as it positions itself for the festive time.
FAQs
As President Trump was pardoning the White House turkey, he attacked Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and the Chicago mayor for their "irresponsible" management of crime, wondered why turkeys were being pardoned this year at all, and claimed that he was responsible for the public safety measures that came about during his administration.
At the annual White House Thanksgiving turkey pardon, President Donald Trump did not mince his words in criticising Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson.
Before the guests were invited to the event, Trump, in the Rose Garden, lashed out at what he had experienced as a mere "resistance" of officials from Illinois to federal aid that is necessary to bring the violent crime rates in Chicago down.
In his criticism of the administrations in state and city, Trump mentioned that the powers holding the reins were the ones responsible for crime spiraling out of control and pointed to his earlier suggestions to them for a more effective collaboration with federal cops in which he included the National Guard. “The mayor is incompetent and the governor is a big fat slob,” the president said, mocking Johnson and Pritzker. “If he were the right guy, he would say come on in and lend a hand to make Chicago safe.”
This funny moment at the event when Trump traditionally absolves two turkeys of the holiday held in a lighthearted manner was interrupted by his salvo of barbs aimed at a sitting governor that led to quick national coverage. Trump was of a mind to crack a joke at the expense of Pritzker but refrained from doing so because he doesn't generally make comments about people's weight, although he himself repeated the insult.
This year, the White House ceremony revolved around two turkeys named Gobble and Waddle, which is in keeping with the long tradition of the festive events hosted by presidents. Assailing Biden, Trump claimed that a signing was done by the autopen without the President’s direct involvement when the pardon was effected last year. Upon determining this, Trump declared that the pardons he did were “totally invalid” but he did not go any further with the idea in his statement.
Trump also brought up his administration's overall policy on national security and crime prevention as an example. He mentioned that the National Guard had been sent to support the local police in cities such as Portland and Chicago and also in Washington, D.C., where he stated that the problem of crime is due to illegal immigration and that the reason for the troops was to counter that. The National Guard troops that were slated to be pulled out last week in Portland and Chicago after a couple of lawsuits had been filed by state and city officials.
Without much delay, a representative for Gov. Pritzker signaling the governor's stance came out and issued a statement indicating that the governor had already expressed many times that in most interviews the state would see to it public safety should be run without military.
Experts in the field of public policy point out that it is quite usual for there to be disagreements between feds and state on day-to-day matters of the National Guard as an intervention by them may cause concerns about resuming control over that under the area of jurisdiction. As per a research conducted by the Brookings Institution in 2024, intervention by a federal authority blaming local law enforcement can not only lead to disputes politically but also takes precedence over discussing policy choices.
Though the Thanksgiving event is generally a gesture of kindness and seasonal cheer, Trump's interventions here highlight the political conflicts revolving around the issues of crime, immigration, and executive power which the country is dealing with as it positions itself for the festive time.
FAQs
- What were the federal actions that Trump talked about?
He was mentioning activities of the National Guard in some places like Portland and Chicago as a part of his plan to fight crime and solve immigration issues. - How did the officials from Illinois respond?
It seemed like the governor was not willing to respond immediately after the president's remarks but instead Pritzker has been pointing out the importance of the state taking charge of public safety in his previous statements.