Elon Musk slammed JB Pritzker as “crazy” after the Illinois governor called on “do nothing” Democrats to lead mass protests against President Trump’s controversial second-term blitz.
The MAGA billionaire tweeted his verdict on Pritzker’s fiery speech in New Hampshire where the potential 2028 presidential candidate demanded more aggressive resistance to Trump from fellow Democrats.
“Never before in my life have I called for mass protests, for mobilization, for disruption, but I am now,” Pritzker said Sunday night at the New Hampshire Democratic Party’s McIntyre-Shaheen 100 Club Dinner. “These Republicans cannot know a moment of peace.”
“The reckoning is finally here,” he added.
Pritzker said Democrats need to get back to grassroots organizing and speaking out for working-class Americans taking the brunt of Trump’s erratic first 100 days of deep government cuts and harsh tariffs on imported goods.
“We’ve been guilty of listening to a bunch of do-nothing political types who would tell us that America’s house is not on fire, even as the flames are licking their faces,” he said.
He took a none-too-subtle dig at fellow 2028 presidential wannabes like California Gov. Gavin Newsom who have taken to podcasts and appeared with right-wing figures to stake out more moderate stands on controversial issues like immigration and transgender rights.
“Those same do-nothing Democrats want to blame our losses on our defense of Black people, of trans kids, of immigrants, instead of their own lack of guts and gumption,” Pritzker said.
Musk wasted little time hitting back at Pritzker Sunday night, reposting and commenting on a right-wing account of the speech.
The Tesla and SpaceX mogul is a key ally of Trump, leading his slash-and-burn effort to cut government spending with his Department of Government Efficiency. Many Democrats see the world’s richest man as a highly unpopular lightning rod and plan to make him a centerpiece of their fightback against Trump.
White conceding that Democrats need to tweak their messaging and strategy, Pritzker says the party has nothing to apologize for when it comes for standing up to Trump’s mercurial policies.
“Our values are exactly where they should be,” Pritzker said. “We will never join so many Republicans in a special place in hell reserved for quislings and cowards.”
Pritzker, a billionaire heir to the Hyatt hotel fortune, is serving his second term as popular Illinois governor and is mulling running for a third term in 2026.
Pritzker invoked his Jewish faith to criticize Trump’s efforts to deport foreign students who participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations and punish universities that resist harsh crackdowns on student protests.
“Stop tearing down the Constitution in the name of my ancestors,” Pritzker said.
The speech is the latest in a string of high-profile Pritzker appearances in traditional early voting states, although it’s not clear if New Hampshire will ever regain its first-in-the-nation status in the Democratic primary race.
Pritzker is seeking to burnish his image as a successful bare-knuckled brawler from the Midwest as he stakes a claim on the Democratic shortlist for the 2028 nomination.
Other early potential candidates include ex-Vice President Kamala Harris, Newsom, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.
Some are even floating firebrand Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) as a progressive option after she joined Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) on a successful rally tour of western red states.
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