Illinois Governor JB Pritzker thought he could score some cheap political points by attacking Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
But the portly Democrat politician just walked into the political equivalent of a buzz saw.
And Pete Hegseth delivered one brutal comeback that left JB Pritzker completely flattened.
Pritzker takes a shot at Hegseth’s dedication to fitness
Chicago has become a war zone under J.B. Pritzker’s watch.
FBI Director Kash Patel revealed that over 110,000 gang members are currently prowling the streets of Chicago – roughly 4% of the city’s 2.7 million residents.¹
That means there’s about one gang member for every 24 people living in the Windy City.
The crime situation has gotten so dire that President Trump ordered National Guard troops into several Democrat-run cities across America, including Chicago.
ICE agents operating in Chicago have come under assault by Marxist agitators while Chicago Police have been ordered to stand down and let federal agents suffer.
But instead of focusing on the gang violence terrorizing his constituents, Pritzker decided to take a cheap shot at Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s fitness routine.
Governor Pritzker was supposedly waiting for a call from Hegseth last weekend regarding National Guard deployment coordination, but Hegseth was at a Navy-Air Force football game helping break the Guinness World Record for most people doing pushups simultaneously.²
"Pete Hegseth was busy ignoring his job and doing pushups as part of a show for the Guinness Book of World Records while Illinoisans are being invaded by Trump’s military troops," Pritzker posted on X Tuesday.³
The Illinois Governor – who is not exactly known for his dedication to physical fitness – thought he could embarrass Hegseth by mocking his workout regimen.
That was a massive miscalculation.
Hegseth fires back with devastating accuracy
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth saw right through Pritzker’s desperate deflection attempt.
The Secretary wasted no time firing back with a response that cut right to the heart of the matter.
"Governor, you might try a pushup or two," Hegseth wrote on X. "In the meantime, our troops will do the job you refuse to do."⁴
The comeback was surgical in its precision.
Hegseth managed to highlight Pritzker’s obvious physical shortcomings while also calling out his complete failure as a leader in just two sentences.
And the timing couldn’t have been more perfect.
Here’s Pritzker complaining about federal troops coming to clean up the mess he created, while simultaneously attacking the physical fitness of the man tasked with keeping Americans safe.
The optics alone should make any rational person question Pritzker’s priorities.
The contrast couldn’t be more obvious
Look at what we’re dealing with here.
On one side, you have Pete Hegseth – a decorated combat veteran who served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan with the Army’s elite 82nd Airborne Division.
The man earned a Bronze Star Medal and Combat Infantryman’s Badge for his service to this country.
He’s clearly maintained his physical fitness standards and continues to lead by example even as Secretary of War.
On the other side, you have J.B. Pritzker – a career politician who inherited his wealth and has never served a day in uniform.
The man looks like he couldn’t run a mile without calling for an ambulance, yet he’s mocking a combat veteran’s dedication to staying in fighting shape.
For folks who actually care about having competent leadership, this exchange tells you everything you need to know about these two men.
One takes his responsibilities seriously enough to maintain the physical and mental discipline required for his position.
The other deflects from his failures by making jokes about pushups while his city burns.
What’s really telling is Pritzker’s complete inability to address the actual crisis facing Chicago residents.
Instead of explaining why 110,000 gang members are operating freely in his state, he’s worried about Hegseth’s exercise routine.
Instead of taking responsibility for the sanctuary policies that have enabled criminal operations to flourish, he’s complaining about the federal troops coming to restore order.
That’s not leadership – that’s political cowardice wrapped in sarcasm.
The people of Illinois deserve better than a governor who mocks the physical fitness of the man sent to clean up his mess while gang violence reaches historic levels in Chicago.
Hegseth was participating in a morale-building event with service members at the Navy-Air Force game when he helped break the pushup record with 3,068 participants.⁵
While Pritzker saw this as ignoring his duties, any rational person understands that building morale and esprit de corps with our military is exactly what a Secretary of War should be doing.
The fact that Pritzker can’t distinguish between leadership and neglect tells you everything about why Chicago is in the state it’s in.
¹ FBI Director Kash Patel, Interview on Fox News, October 8, 2025.
² Chicago Sun-Times, "Pentagon chief Hegseth more interested in pushups than talking with Illinois leaders, Pritzker says," October 7, 2025.
³ J.B. Pritzker, Post on X, October 8, 2025.
⁴ Pete Hegseth, Post on X, October 9, 2025.
⁵ Fox News, "Hegseth leads 3068 people in record-breaking pushup feat," October 5, 2025.
