Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker denied this week that he had ever compared Republicans or President Donald Trump to Nazis, despite several recorded remarks and public statements in which he invoked Nazi Germany when discussing Trump, Elon Musk, and the Republican Party.
Speaking at a press conference Monday, Pritzker rejected accusations that he had labeled Republicans as Nazis.
“No, I have not. That is completely false. I have never called Republicans Nazis. That’s what [Republicans] would like to say, they’re lying. They’re lying,” he said. “Well, that’s not what I called them.”
However, recordings and public appearances show Pritzker has repeatedly drawn parallels between Trump and Nazi Germany.
BREAKING: Pritzker just lied about long history of comparing Republicans to Nazis. pic.twitter.com/FPUCUpR8Gn
— APOCTOZ (@Apoctoz) September 15, 2025
On February 28, 2025, during an appearance on The View, Pritzker claimed that Trump was “tearing down constitutional democracy” in the same way Adolf Hitler did.
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He further argued that the Trump administration’s approach to governance mirrored the dismantling of democratic institutions during the Nazi era.
In a post on X dated October 23, 2024, ahead of the presidential election, Pritzker wrote that Trump “praises and romanticizes” Hitler and described him as a “dictator-in-waiting.”
He added, “The way Donald Trump praises and romanticizes Hitler is unhinged, disturbing, and disqualifying. He is a dictator-in-waiting. We know exactly what he’ll do if he’s in power again. It cannot happen.”
The way Donald Trump praises and romanticizes Hitler is unhinged, disturbing, and disqualifying. He is a dictator-in-waiting. We know exactly what he’ll do if he’s in power again. It cannot happen. https://t.co/t3ruw2B6nc
— JB Pritzker (@JBPritzker) October 23, 2024
On April 28, 2024, during an interview on Inside with Jen Psaki, Pritzker compared Trump’s immigration enforcement policies to Nazi-era restrictions on civil rights in the 1930s.
He said, “The rhetoric that’s being used by Donald Trump, the rhetoric that is being used by some of the MAGA extremists is rhetoric that was used in the 1930s in Germany. I am very concerned about the direction of the country if we see policies like what Donald Trump is espousing come to light for our country.”
He repeated the comparison in December 2023 on MSNBC, again linking Trump and supporters of the “MAGA movement” to the rise of Hitler’s regime.
Governor of Illinois, J. B. Pritzker compares Trump and his base to Germany Nazis.
As a person whose family was burned alive by Nazis and survived Nazi camp with certainty can tell that @JBPritzker is an idiot who shouldn’t be taken seriously. pic.twitter.com/MzQMzcyoGZ
— I Meme Therefore I Am 🇺🇸 (@ImMeme0) December 20, 2023
Pritzker has also invoked Nazi imagery in exchanges with Musk.
Following Trump’s inauguration on January 20, 2025, Pritzker claimed Musk gave a Nazi-style salute to the crowd.
When Musk mocked Pritzker’s weight on X days later, Pritzker responded on January 29: “I salute @TheWienerCircle, not Nazis.”
I salute @TheWienerCircle, not Nazis. https://t.co/JFNoBvN807 pic.twitter.com/Y3zArkieE5
— JB Pritzker (@JBPritzker) January 29, 2025
The governor’s denial comes amid heightened scrutiny of political rhetoric following the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk on September 10.
Authorities identified the suspected gunman, Tyler Robinson, as an individual who had adopted left-wing views and “became more pro-gay and trans-rights oriented,” according to law enforcement statements released Tuesday.
During Monday’s press conference, Pritzker called on Trump to condemn political violence in the wake of Kirk’s assassination.
He also cited the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot as part of a broader surge in political violence that he attributed to Trump.
The resurfacing of Pritzker’s past comments stands in contrast to his current denials and has renewed debate over the impact of incendiary rhetoric by public officials, especially at a moment when political violence remains under national scrutiny.