Pritzker disputes Trump claims, says Illinois GOP backs president ‘100%’

By Jim Talamonti | The Center Square
The Center Square

(The Center Square) – Gov. J.B. Pritzker says Illinois Republicans are letting President Donald Trump get away with boasting about higher prices, stagnant wage growth and extreme uncertainty.

Pritzker’s 2026 gubernatorial campaign released a statement after the president’s address to the nation Wednesday night.

The governor cited reports from CNN and ABC and said millions of Americans are spending more than ever on their groceries, electric bills and health care.

Trump said in his speech that he’s fixing the mess he inherited.

“When I took office, inflation was the worst in 48 years and some would say in the history of our country, which caused prices to be higher than ever before, making life unaffordable for millions and millions of Americans,” the president said.

Trump said his administration is solving inflation after Democrat politicians sent the cost of groceries soaring.

“The price of a Thanksgiving turkey was down 33% compared to [former President Joe] Biden last year. The price of eggs is down 82% since March and everything else is falling rapidly,” Trump asserted.

In his statement, Pritzker said some MAGA Republicans are waking up.

The Illinois governor noted that the Indiana Senate voted against a congressional redistricting effort, and U.S. House Republicans voted to release Department of Justice files on the late convicted sex trafficker, Jeffrey Epstein.

“But the Illinois GOP is still backing him 100 percent, no matter how much it costs working families in our state,” Pritzker stated.

Pritzker said wage growth is at its lowest point since 2021, but Trump said his administration’s policies are boosting take-home pay.

“Under Trump, the typical factory worker is seeing a wage increase of $1,300. For construction workers, it’s $1,800. For miners, we’re bringing back clean, beautiful coal, it’s $3,300,” the president said.

Trump said, for the first time in years, wages are going up faster than inflation.

“How big is that?” the president asked.

The president said Americans would begin to see results next year of the largest tax cuts in American history.

“That includes no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, and no tax on Social Security for our great seniors,” Trump said.

The president touted lower energy costs by eliminating Democrats’ environmental policies, which he said caused energy prices to skyrocket.

Consumer prices rose by 0.2% in the two month period between September and November, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

In June 2022, the United States experienced a 40-year peak of inflation at 9.1%. It has fallen since then and was under 3% last month.

Sarah Roderick-Fitch and Andrew Rice contributed to this story.