It started with a bold claim: Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said President Donald Trump is “suffering dementia.” The internet lit up with reactions — some cheering, some outraged, and many confused. Was there truth behind the accusation? Or was this just another shot in a growing political battle?
Let’s break it down.
The feud began when President Trump approved the deployment of 200 Texas National Guard troops to Illinois. Their mission: protect federal property and personnel during rising anti-immigration protests. The protests have been heating up in recent weeks, with tensions running high in cities like Chicago.
Governor Pritzker didn’t like the move. He said Trump was using the military for “his own bidding” and called him “a man who has something stuck in his head.” Then came the headline-grabber: Pritzker claimed Trump was showing signs of dementia.
That’s a serious accusation. But Pritzker offered no medical evidence or expert opinion to back it up. Instead, his statement seemed to be more about politics than facts.
It’s worth noting that Pritzker has a history of defending others — especially Democrats — when similar questions about mental fitness were raised. Just last year, a report from Special Counsel Robert Hur described former President Joe Biden as “a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.” In response, Pritzker called the report unfair and said Biden was “on the ball.”
But after a series of shaky public appearances and a rough debate performance, Biden eventually dropped out of the 2024 presidential race. His decision came amid growing doubts about his ability to serve another term. That’s where the hypocrisy comes in. Pritzker defended Biden to the end, even when the evidence of decline was hard to ignore — yet now he’s accusing Trump, who has shown no official signs of mental decline, of having dementia?
So what’s really going on?
This is clearly a political fight over immigration, law enforcement, and the limits of federal power. Trump says he’s taking action because leaders like Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson have failed to protect ICE agents and federal officers. In fact, Trump recently said both men should be jailed for refusing to cooperate with federal immigration efforts.
That set off alarm bells for Pritzker, who compared Trump’s actions to the early stages of Nazi Germany. That kind of language is shocking — and dangerous. Equating the legal deployment of National Guard troops to the rise of a fascist regime is not just over-the-top, it’s misleading.
Let’s look at the facts: The National Guard troops were sent in for a temporary, 60-day mission. A Pentagon official confirmed their role is simple — protect federal property and keep peace during a time of unrest. There’s no evidence they’re being used to control civilians or suppress free speech. And they’re not running the streets like a military occupation. They’re stationed at key federal locations for security. That’s it.
Meanwhile, crime in Chicago continues to spike. Thirty people were shot in the city just last week. Federal officials argue that something needs to be done, and local leaders aren’t stepping up. The White House’s Rapid Response team even said Pritzker was “inciting violence” by stoking fear and pushing false comparisons.
So what do we really have here?
We have a Democrat governor making wild claims about a sitting president — claims he never would have made against a fellow Democrat, even when signs of cognitive decline were plain to see. We have a city in crisis, where crime is rising and federal help is being rejected for political reasons. And we have a president taking action to restore law and order — and getting slammed for it.
In the end, there’s no proof that Trump is suffering from dementia. There is, however, plenty of proof that politics can cloud judgment — and make people say things they wouldn’t dream of saying if the roles were reversed.
That’s the real story.