Illinois governor slams dog-killing Noem in latest jab at Team Trump
Responding to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s planned visit to Illinois, Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker’s office mocked her and took the Trump administration to task for its immigration posturing.
“We would urge all pet owners in the region to make sure all of your beloved animals are under watchful protection while the secretary is in the region,” Pritzker’s office said in a statement.
In her 2024 memoir, Noem bragged that she murdered her dog Cricket, a 14-month-old wirehair pointer. Noem wrote that the dog was “untrainable” and that she “hated that dog.” After she was unable to train the dog to hunt, she took it to a gravel pit and killed it.
Noem was reportedly in the running to be Donald Trump’s 2024 running mate before the grisly disclosure, but he instead picked then-Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, who has demonstrated his own problems with empathy and human connection.
Pritzker’s office also noted, “Secretary Noem has often been spotted on television cosplaying law enforcement officers, so media are invited to capture her latest costume upon arrival.”
Since being appointed by Trump, Noem has played dress-up on multiple occasions, wearing clothing emulating the trained professionals under her command in the Department of Homeland Security. The flights of fancy have wasted tax money.
On a more serious note, Pritzker’s office also took Noem and the Trump administration to task for the policy issue at the heart of the visit. Homeland Security said Noem’s visit was to spotlight so-called “sanctuary cities” and to crack down on immigrants.
“Despite the Trump Administration being in office for more than 100 days and falsely accusing Illinois of not following federal and state law, Secretary Noem and her team does not communicate with the State of Illinois and has not asked for support or coordination to enforce immigration laws,” the statement from the governor’s office said.
The Illinois Democrat has been one of the most prominent and outspoken voices against Trump’s actions over the past few months.
In remarks to the Human Rights Campaign in March, Pritzker called out Trump as a “bully” for policies attacking the rights of transgender people. He also criticized Republican plots to rescind same-sex marriage rights.
“Bending to the whims of a bully will not end his cruelty. It will only embolden him,” Pritzker said.
In response to the Supreme Court’s conservative majority upholding Trump’s ban on transgender military service, Pritzker wrote on social media on Tuesday, “Being transgender has no bearing on their dedication to our nation or their commitment to their unit. Decisions like today’s aren’t just deeply concerning, they set our armed forces back.”
He recently sent out a release inviting Canadians to visit Illinois after Trump has spent months lobbing insults and tariffs at the American ally.
Pritzker plans to sign an executive order protecting the state’s autism data after Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the head of the Department of Health and Human Services, said he would create a federal database of people with autism.
The governor also criticized Trump’s tariff policy, noting in an April 2 statement that Trump’s haphazard actions are a “tax on working families.”
Pritzker will testify before Congress in June to defend his provision of constitutional rights for migrants and other residents of the state.
Democratic leadership in Congress has had a hard time adjusting to Trump’s return to office. Some, like Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, have faced intense criticism for bending to Trump, approving his financial requests and voting for some of his nominees.
But along with others like New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Pritzker has been pushing back and asserting that Trump and his acolytes cannot operate unchecked.