Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has escalated his criticism of President Donald Trump, accusing the president of suffering from dementia and calling for the 25th Amendment to remove him from office.
The remarks came after Trump ordered federal agents and a small contingent of National Guard troops into Chicago, citing the need to address violent crime, protect Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel, and stabilize operations at federal facilities.
The clash highlights an intensifying feud between the White House and Illinois leaders, who have consistently resisted Trump’s law-and-order approach to addressing crime and immigration enforcement in the state’s largest city.
Pritzker, speaking alongside Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson at a food insecurity event hosted by the City Colleges of Chicago, opened his remarks by accusing Trump of showing signs of cognitive decline.
“It appears that Donald Trump not only has dementia set in, but he’s copying tactics of Vladimir Putin,” Pritzker told reporters, according to a video posted by the Heartland Signal. He criticized Trump’s comments earlier in the day suggesting that “dangerous cities” like Chicago could serve as training grounds for U.S. troops.
“Sending troops into cities, thinking that that’s some sort of proving ground for war or that indeed there’s some sort of internal war going on in the United States is just frankly inane,” Pritzker said. “And I’m concerned for his health.”
ILLINOIS GOV. J.B. PRITZKER (D): “It appears that Donald Trump not only has dementia set in, but he’s copying tactics of Vladimir Putin. Sending troops into cities, thinking that that’s some sort of proving ground for war or that indeed there’s some sort of internal war going on… pic.twitter.com/oGxa5xBl96
— Heartland Signal (@HeartlandSignal) September 30, 2025
Pritzker went further later in the press conference, explicitly calling for the use of the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office. “There is something genuinely wrong with this man and the 25th Amendment ought to be invoked,” he said, in remarks captured by Forbes Breaking News.
Section Four of the 25th Amendment allows for the removal of a president deemed unable to discharge the powers and duties of office. It requires the vice president and a majority of Cabinet officials to submit a written declaration to Congress, temporarily transferring power. If contested, Congress must decide the matter, with a two-thirds vote in both chambers needed to uphold the removal.
The sharp comments followed Trump’s morning appearance at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia, where he addressed generals and admirals in a special session.
Trump to top military officials: “I told Pete, we should use some of these dangerous cities as training grounds for our military. National Guard, but our military. Because we’re going into Chicago very soon. That’s a big city with an incompetent governor. Stupid governor.” pic.twitter.com/v9gb2OhhcJ
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 30, 2025
The president’s order authorizing federal agents and a limited number of National Guard members to deploy to Chicago was signed earlier this week. White House officials said the move was aimed at reinforcing security around ICE offices and federal courthouses, as well as assisting in immigration enforcement amid what they describe as a surge of undocumented migrants into Illinois.
Chicago officials condemned the decision, with Mayor Johnson calling it “an insult to the sovereignty of our city.” Civil liberties groups also warned that the deployment could escalate tensions in neighborhoods already distrustful of federal law enforcement.
Trump, for his part, has dismissed the criticism as partisan noise. He defended the Chicago deployment in a Truth Social post, calling it “a necessary step to protect federal agents and restore law and order in a city that has been abandoned by weak Democrat leadership.”
Whether Pritzker’s call for the 25th Amendment gains traction remains to be seen. Legal scholars note that invoking Section Four has never occurred in U.S. history and would require the cooperation of Trump’s own Cabinet — something seen as unlikely given his control over executive branch appointments.
For Pritzker, the confrontation also plays into broader speculation about his own political ambitions. While the governor has denied interest in a presidential run, his sharp rebukes of Trump have raised his national profile among Democrats preparing for 2028.
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