Gov. JB Pritzker mocks his weight, tells TV host Jimmy Kimmel he's undecided on third term
Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker said Thursday night he has not made up his mind on seeking a third term and demurred on a 2028 presidential run in a light-hearted interview with TV host Jimmy Kimmel that featured the governor offering self-deprecating nicknames about his weight for Republican President Donald Trump to use.
'JB Pizza. JB Back Ribs. Jay Biggie. JB the Hut. J Pritzed His Pants. Pritz Crackers. Governor Big Shorts and JB 'The Refrigerator' Pritzker,' the governor recited of names offered by Kimmel's staff. Pritzker added a few of his own, including what he said was his favorite, 'J. Beefy,' though Kimmel said a vote likely would make 'JB Back Ribs' the winner.
'He loves to make fun of people in any way he can. Frankly, that's how you know he's afraid of you,' Pritzker said after Kimmel played a clip from a March 2024 rally of Trump attacking the Illinois governor, saying, 'He's too busy eating. He wants to eat all the time.' Trump, Pritzker said, 'has convinced himself that he is way better looking and thinner than he really is.'
Pritzker has repeatedly referenced his weight in political campaigning, using the banner of 'Think Big' for campaigns and political funds. His appearance on ABC's 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' was the latest in a string of appearances before Democratic audiences and in media interviews that have served to elevate his national political stature and increase speculation about his interest in the party's presidential nomination in 2028.
'I have not even decided if I'm running for reelection as governor yet. So there's, there's a lot of time between now and where you're suggesting,' he said in response to a question from Kimmel about his presidential aspirations.
Asked if he was deciding between a third term as governor or opting out to seek a presidential bid, Pritzker said, 'No, none of that has anything to do with that.'
'I love the job that I have. It's just a question of, you know, it's a hard job, right? I mean, I've been doing it for six and a half years now. And the question is, you know, another, add another well, one-and-a-half plus four, right?' Pritzker said of a reelection bid. 'That's 12 years total, right? That's an awful long time. But we have a lot to accomplish. We've done an awful lot in Illinois, and so those things weigh on me.'
People close to Pritzker say they expect the 60-year-old billionaire heir to the Hyatt Hotels fortune to seek a third term after the Illinois General Assembly's spring session ends, which is scheduled for May 31. But some top Democratic strategists have said Pritzker should opt out of a third term, particularly due to potential issues that could develop as the state copes with federal funding cuts being pushed by Trump and Republicans who control Congress.
Pritzker said he was 'a little surprised' by the reaction from Democrats and Republicans, including the Trump White House, to a fiery weekend speech he made to New Hampshire Democrats in which he declared Republicans 'cannot know a moment of peace' and called for 'mass protests, for mobilization, for disruption' in telling Democrats they 'must castigate them on the soapbox and then punish them at the ballot box.'
'I think everybody understands that at this point, we've got an authoritarian in office. He's essentially tearing apart the things that really matter to working families across the United States, and nobody's stopping him, that Congress is under the control of his party. They're all paying homage to him at all times,' Pritzker said.
'The only thing in my view that we really can do on a national level is let them know about our displeasure,' he said of Democrats taking on Republicans in Congress. 'They know they're up for reelection in 2026 and if they don't know how much resistance there is out there in their own districts, then they're just going to keep following Donald Trump and doing whatever he wants.'
Originally Published: May 2, 2025 at 8:43 AM CDT
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