CHICAGO — A wave of executive orders and bold pronouncements of his vision for the country highlighted President Donald Trump’s first day back in the White House Monday.
In Illinois, Trump’s ascension back to power kicked off new frustrations for Gov. JB Pritzker, who ripped into the new president at an unrelated news conference Tuesday for a lack of communication with the states, executive actions, and who he chose to surround himself with at inaugural events.
Pritzker, whose net worth is estimated at $3.7 billion by Forbes, is one of the 1,000 wealthiest people in the world. As one of the richest politicians in U.S. history, he largely self-funded his two campaigns for governor. But on Tuesday, he raised concerns about the prominent appearance of several large tech company CEOs at Trump’s inauguration.
Meta founder Mark Zuckerburg, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and TikTok CEO Shou Chew were among those seated behind Trump’s family during Monday’s festivities at the U.S. Capitol.
“These are the wealthiest people in the country who essentially Donald Trump feels better about having them around than having ordinary Americans backing him up or standing with him,” Pritzker said at an unrelated news conference. “And I think it’s just an indication of what this administration is really all about. It isn’t about what he ran on.”
Pritzker, who has been floated as a future presidential hopeful in the Democratic Party, reserved more specific criticism for Elon Musk, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO who Trump has tapped to lead a “Department of Government Efficiency.” While speaking at Trump’s rally Monday, Musk gave a gesture to the crowd that has been criticized as a Nazi salute, though the Anti-Defamation League said that is not the case. Pritzker, who is Jewish, said he was “disgusted” by the act and Trump should condemn it.
“They hope to become greater than billionaires,” Pritzker said of Trump’s wealthy guests. “They hope to double what they already have. That is why they’re making nice. That’s all I can imagine. I mean, maybe some of them have delusions of becoming dictators themselves.”
In a farewell address last week, former President Joe Biden warned about a growing “oligarchy” ruling American politics.
The governor said he saw no evidence in Trump’s executive orders that the president was following through on campaign promises to lower costs for Americans.
“In the flood of all the proposals that he made yesterday, there was nothing that would lower costs. In fact, he proposed tariffs on goods coming into this country from Canada and Mexico and is proposing having an entire department that’s dedicated to tariffs. Well, guess who is going to pay for tariffs,” Pritzker said.
Returning to a familiar line from the campaign trail, Pritzker said Democrats have delivered for families and made going to the grocery store more affordable. Pritzker signed legislation approved by the General Assembly last year that will eliminate the statewide 1% grocery tax in Illinois beginning in 2026, though local governments can impose their own grocery taxes.
Illinois Republicans expressed hope that Trump’s presidency would improve costs for Americans.
“Illinois families can sigh a breath of relief knowing that the chaos and instability of the last four years is behind us, and a new reality of unity, prosperity and peace through strength begins,” Illinois Republican Party Chair Kathy Salvi said in a statement. “Illinois Republicans look forward to working with President Trump to restore liberty, lower costs, and create safer communities for Illinois families.”
House Republican Leader Tony McCombie, R-Savanna, echoed that sentiment in a statement.
“Together, we can deliver relief to families, bring peace to divided communities, and restore economic success by focusing on policies that get people back to work, lower the cost of living, and strengthen our nation’s standing at home and abroad,” McCombie said.
Pritzker argued Trump turned against the Republican Party’s values when he pardoned or commuted sentences for more than 1,000 people convicted of crimes related to the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot. Those covered under Trump’s act include people convicted of assaulting police officers, according to the Associated Press, and leaders of white supremacy groups.
“What used to be the party of law and order is now the party of chaos and disorder, and that stands against law enforcement,” Pritzker said of Republicans.
Spokespeople for McCombie and Salvi did not respond to requests for comment about the pardons and commutations.
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
