Gov. J.B. Pritzker Is Doing His Best Donald Trump Impression Now

CHICAGO — Gov. J.B. Pritzker is starting to sound like President Donald Trump at those daily new coronavirus briefings his social media fan club calls #SpritzersWithPritzker.

After more than 50-consecutive days of the J.B. coronavirus show, the billionaire rookie governor has shown himself to be a guy who exaggerates his successes, makes promises he can't keep, berates political foes, dodges questions about his missteps and panders to lapdog reporters just like the president he loves to hate.

On Tuesday, AP statehouse reporter John O'Connor passed along an astute observation — the governor exhibited apparent contempt for a downstate lawmaker's decision to consult the justice system to question whether the executive branch of government's extended stay-at-home order violated the state constitution.

O'Connor asked, "You said Bailey is grandstanding. Isn't that what you are doing?"

"O.K., that's just a ridiculous question," the governor said, before rambling on without answering it.

If you're thinking, "That sounds like something Trump would say to a fake news reporter," you're right. That was the president's response to a question he didn't want to answer in 2018.

On Wednesday, Pritzker again mimicked Trump by lashing out after taking an uncomfortable question about whether taxpayers are footing the bill for a security detail to watch over Illinois' first lady and their daughter while they ride out the pandemic at a $12.1 million equestrian estate in Florida.

"It used to be that we kept our families out of it. My official duties have nothing to do with my family. So I'm just not going to answer that question," the governor said.

"It's inappropriate and I find it reprehensible, honestly, that, that reporter wrote a story about it."

He was talking about me. And this story.

I understand why Pritzker might be miffed.

Some people say it doesn't look good that the wife of "All-In" Illinois' Pritzker is hunkered down in the Sunshine State while first ladies from other states are bringing home 500,000 COVID-19 tests kits and organizing volunteers during the pandemic.

And there was a time when reporters would keep elected officials' "families out of it." In exchange for access and the occasional scoop, an ink-stained wretch might look the other way while married elected officials sexually harassed staffers over cocktails and leveraged their elected positions to benefit family members on the taxpayer dime.

Sadly, for Pritzker, there are a few reporters who ask questions about what insiders whisper behind his back. Maybe there wouldn't have been such a "reprehensible" story if the governor's handsomely paid spin machine responded to calls and emails with reasonable explanations to pretty mild questions about the first lady's whereabouts.

But that's not Pritzker's way.

The governor seems to have become obsessed with the reach of his executive authority without outside input, at least when it serves him.

In March, Pritzker claimed he didn't have authority to stop the primary election as the coronavirus inspired social distancing to save lives, though he could have given it a try in court like Ohio's governor did.

And Wednesday, the governor told reporters that it wasn't up to him to call a special legislative session to clarify his executive authority to extend the pandemic stay-at-home order currently being challenged in court, even though the constitution explicitly gives him authority to do just that to provide oversight of executive branch functions.

What we’re witnessing is a billionaire rookie governor with no elected experience relying on his political party’s majority in the state house, senate and the Supreme Court to preserve his unchecked executive authority during a pandemic, and using daily grandstanding sessions to crush anyone who dares to question him.

And while his Twitter fans drink white wine, it sure looks like Pritzker's having a great time.

Just like Trump.

Mark Konkol, recipient of the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for local reporting and Emmy-nominated producer, was a producer, writer and narrator for the "Chicagoland" docu-series on CNN. He was a consulting producer on the Showtime documentary, "16 Shots."

More from Mark Konkol:

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