Illinois Governor JB Pritzker issued the perfect response to President Donald Trump after Trump said Pritzker "ought to spend more time at the gym"—quite the laugh coming from a man who isn't in shape himself.
Pritzker's weight has long been the subject of attacks—Trump has previously said Pritzker was “too busy eating” to lead his state—and Trump added his latest insult to the mix while complaining about Democratic governors who've pushed back against his plans to deploy military troops into their states.
He said:
“I hate to barge in on a city and then be treated horribly by corrupt politicians and bad politicians like a guy like Pritzker. He ought to spend more time in the gym, actually.”
Pritzker said the following when alerted about what Trump had said:
"It takes one to know one on the weight question. And the president, of course, himself, is not in good shape. So, he ought to respond to that from me.”
“I would say also that his personal attacks on me are just evidence of a guy who’s still living in fifth grade. He’s the kind of bully that throws invectives at people, because he knows that what he’s saying is actually commentary on himself.”
You can hear what Pritzker said in the video below.
The funny thing about Trump's attack, as Pritzker said, is that it sounded like he was describing himself.
Trump isn't exactly known to be a looker but he has nonetheless declared himself a "perfect physical specimen" and boasted about his physical prowess, once noting that his own White House physician had declared him "healthier than Obama"—despite Trump's distaste for exercise and fondness for fast food.
Trump has also been vocal about his aversion to exercise. In a New York Times Magazine profile, Trump expressed skepticism about the benefits of exercise, stating that people who work out regularly are often at risk of injuries and health issues.
At the time, he said:
“All my friends who work out all the time, they’re going for knee replacements, hip replacements — they’re a disaster."
Trump's personal habits suggest that, regardless of his environment, engaging in physical exercise is unlikely to become part of his routine.
People loved Pritzker's response—and joined him in pointing out Trump's hypocrisy.
Pritzker's response came in the days after the Washington Post reported that the Pentagon has been planning a military intervention in Chicago for weeks, including mobilizing several thousand National Guard members and weighing the deployment of active-duty troops.
The discussions come even as Chicago’s crime rate has fallen amid targeted violence-intervention programs funded by the city and federal government. Recently, however, the Justice Department cut grant funding for those efforts.
