Friday on MSNBC’s “The Briefing,” Gov. JB Pritzker (D-IL) said President Donald Trump was using the National Guard to cause chaos, declare an emergency and “take control of the ballot boxes.”
Pritzker said, “It has nothing to do with fighting crime. Honestly sending National Guard in has nothing to do with immigration either. What it has to do with is he’s trying to set the stage for interference in the elections in 2026 and in 2028.”
Host Jen Psaki said, “I know you’ve made that point before, and that made my ears perk up, and it should be alarming to anyone. What does that look like? Because it sounds like you’re saying there’s going to be military in the streets that are going to prevent people from participating in the elections. Is that it or it’s something else?”
Pritzker said, “It could be that it also could be claiming that there’s something wrong with the election results or the counting of ballots so they’re going to take control of the ballot boxes. Why do I say this? I mean why do I suspect that is in fact what they’re doing? Well, look at the history here. Donald Trump encouraged people to be part of a Stop the Steal Movement in 2020 when he lost the election. He then went out and fomented engagement in this activity to deny the election and then fomented the January 6th protesters to do what they did, which is attack the Capitol. Then he pardoned them after they were found to have committed criminal acts. And then let’s fast forward to today’s back in office. and he’s talking. about maybe people would like a dictatorship. He said that publicly.”
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