Illinois governor JB Pritzker didn’t hold back during a speech at the Illinois Federation of Teachers’ 2025 Convention, telling US president Donald Trump and his allies to “f*** all the way off”.
Pritzker’s no-holds-barred speech took aim at Trump’s administration, specifically the Republican government’s education strategy.
Pritzker said: “Books are being banned. History is being erased. Republicans want to take billions away from public schools and pump it into private institutions. They want to punish teachers for telling the truth. They want to criminalise educators for supporting LGBTQ students.
“They want to turn classrooms into cultural war battlegrounds. And I’m sorry to be vulgar, but Donald Trump and his cronies can f*** all the way off.”
His speech was met with cheers from the crowd. Pritzker, a long-time ally of the LGBTQ+ community, has previously signed laws protecting trans students, banned conversion therapy for minors, and expanded access to gender-affirming healthcare in Illinois.
@pinknews Illinois governor JB Pritzker didn’t hold back during his fiery speech at the Illinois Federation of Teachers’ 2025 Convention. His speech took aim for Trump’s administration, specifically targeting the Republican government’s education strategy.He said: “Books are being banned. History is being erased. Republicans want to take billions away from public schools and pump it into private institutions. They want to punish teachers for telling the truth. They want to criminalize educators for supporting LGBTQ students. "They want to turn classrooms into cultural war battlegrounds. And I’m sorry to be vulgar, but Donald Trump and his cronies can f**k all the way off.” His speech was met with cheers from the crowd.Pritzker, a long-time ally of the LGBTQ+ community, has previously signed laws protecting trans students, banned conversion therapy for minors, and expanded access to gender-affirming healthcare in Illinois. #DonaldTrump #jbpritzker #illinois #education #lgbtqia ♬ The Champion – Lux-Inspira
During a question and answer with members of the media, Pritzker was asked by NBC Chicago if he felt his comment to Trump was appropriate.
Pritzker stood by his choice of words, adding that “all the limits are off with Donald Trump as president in terms of what our reactions are to what he has to say”.
In March, Pritzker once again stood up for trans kids, this time condemning Trump as a “cruel bully” at a Human Rights Campaign event.
In a message for trans youth he said: “And in the midst of this existential fight, this battle that seems to consume everything, well, let’s not take the soul-sucking path of sacrificing the most persecuted for that which we deem to be most popular.
“I know that there are transgender children right now looking out at this world and wondering if anyone is going to stand up for them and for their simple right to exist. Well, I am. We are. We will.”
Share your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below, and remember to keep the conversation respectful.
The post Illinois governor tells Donald Trump to ‘f*** all the way off’ appeared first on PinkNews | Latest lesbian, gay, bi and trans news | LGBTQ+ news.