Pritzker Calls Out ‘Demented’ Trump’s Embarrassing Mental Gaffe

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker tore into “demented” Donald Trump over an embarrassing Chicago flub and taunted a senior Border Patrol commander following a report that suggested federal agents were set to leave the city.

On Tuesday, Trump, 79, stumbled over Chicago’s famed Magnificent Mile—which he miscast as the “Miracle Mile”—in a Truth Social post in which he threatened to deploy troops over a fictional shopping center.

Trump’s comments came as CBS News reported sources saying Border Patrol (CBP) planned to pull out of the region, having arrived in early September as part of ‘Operation Midway Blitz,’ which has seen violent street battles between federal agents and Chicago residents, many of them U.S. citizens.

U.S. President Donald Trump and U.S. Vice President JD Vance salute during a ceremony at Memorial Amphitheater at Arlington National Cemetery to mark Veterans Day. — Pritzker said Donald Trump “doesn’t know anything about Chicago.” Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Responding to Trump’s post, Pritzker, 60, ripped into him for mangling Chicago landmarks and claiming “anarchy” on Michigan Avenue, branding him “demented.”

“He doesn’t even know the name of Michigan Avenue as the Magnificent Mile, not Miracle Mile,” Pritzker laughed.

“All I can say is Donald Trump doesn’t know anything about Chicago. He still thinks Chicago is someplace that’s on fire, like he says about Portland.

“The man is demented. He really has no idea what he’s doing.”

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker attends a Veterans Day ceremony in the Little Village neighborhood — Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker pictured ar a Veterans Day ceremony in the Little Village neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois, where he made his comments about Trump and “snowflake” Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino. Anadolu/Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images

During the press conference in Little Village, which has borne the brunt of the federal agents’ force, Pritzker added: “All I can say is it’s a great city and we continue to have great people…who protect one another against his ICE and CBP troops that are traumatizing our kids and our neighborhoods.”

Pritzker also mocked Gregory Bovino, Border Patrol’s lead commander in the city, who was last week found by a judge to have lied over his use of chemical weapons and excessive force, and whose “Green Army” has been accused of assaulting innocent U.S. citizens and tear-gassing children.

When asked about their mooted departure from Illinois, just as winter is arriving, Pritzker admitted he was in the dark, as the White House had never communicated anything to him about their deployment.

Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino of the El Centro Sector stands amid a protest outside an ICE facility in Broadview — Gregory Bovino of the El Centro Sector and his unit have caused chaos in Chicago for the past two months. Anadolu/Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images

But he said: “Whether it was the loss in the elections a week ago or the fact that Greg Bovino is a snowflake… whatever it is, the people of Chicago deserved better.”

Whether Border Patrol is set to leave the state remains unclear, with Bovino insisting CBP would continue operations: “CBP and allied law enforcement agencies will continue removing illegal aliens from the streets of Chicago,” he wrote on X, while deriding Pritzker’s appearance in Little Village.

Gregory Bovino denies Border Patrol is leaving Chicago. — Gregory Bovino denies Border Patrol is leaving Chicago—but did not, though, explicitly deny he was leaving the city. X

Department of Homeland Security’s Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin—who has a history of making false statements—also denied any withdrawal.

Touting crime drops “since start of Operation Midway Blitz in Chicago,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s senior mouthpiece listed declines in homicides (down 16 percent), shootings (35 percent), robberies (41 percent), carjackings (48 percent), and transit crime (20 percent).

The Chicago Mayor's Office questions some of Tricia McLaughlin's claims. — The Chicago Mayor’s Office called into question some of Tricia McLaughlin’s claims. X

But Chicago’s Mayor’s Office questioned McLaughlin’s claims that the presence of federal agents had led to Chicago having the “safest summer since 1965,” noting that summer covers June–August, while DHS arrived on Sept. 8. “Crime is down in Chicago, but ICE/CBP has nothing to do with that work,” the office wrote.

At the time of publication, CBP continued field operations citywide.

The Daily Beast has contacted DHS and the White House for comment.

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