Pritzker Touts Harris' IL Ties, Obama Slams Trump's 'Weird Obsession' At DNC

CHICAGO, IL — Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker gave a fiery speech on night two of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, making a dig at former President Donald Trump's wealth and also touting Vice President Kamala Harris' ties to Illinois.

"Illinois' presidential history is unmatched," the governor said, referencing Abraham Lincoln uniting "a house divided" during the Civil War and Barack Obama bringing together red and blue states.

Though Harris hails from California, she spent several years in Illinois as a child, when her parents worked at the University of Illinois in Urbana and later Northwestern University in Evanston.

"I speak for the entire Illinois delegation when we say, we claim her too," Pritzker said.

The governor also took a shot at Trump's claims of wealth. "Donald Trump thinks we should trust him on the economy because he claims to be very rich," Pritzker said. "But take it from an actual billionaire — Trump is rich in only one thing: stupidity."

Pritzker said the election was a choice between "the man who left our country a total mess and the woman who has spent four years cleaning it up. And I think it’s time we stop expecting women to clean up messes without the authority and the title to match the job."

Related: Pritzker Takes A Shot Of Malort On 'The Daily Show'

Taking a cue from Harris' running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Pritzker also called Trump and the GOP weird.

"It’s not woke that limits economic growth, it’s weird," he said. "And these guys aren’t just weird, they’re dangerous."

Former President Barack Obama echoed the sentiment.

"Here’s a 78-year-old billionaire who has not stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his gold escalator nine years ago," he said. "There’s the childish nicknames, the crazy conspiracy theories, this weird obsession with crowd sizes ... We do not need four more years of bolster and bumbling and chaos, we have seen that movie before, and we all know that the sequel is usually worse."

Instead, Obama said, "America's ready for a better story, we are ready for a President Kamala Harris. And Kamala Harris is ready for the job. This is a person who has spent her life fighting on behalf of people who need a voice," Obama said of her background as a prosecutor. "She had to work for what she's got, and she actually cares about what other people are going through."

Obama also applauded Harris' VP pick.

"Let me tell you something, I love this guy. Tim is the kind of person who should be in politics," he said of Walz, noting that Walz grew up in a small town, served his country and later became and teacher and a football coach.

"You can tell those flannel shirts he wears don’t come from political consultants, they come from his closet, and they have been through some stuff," Obama joked. "... Even when we don’t agree with each other, we can find a way to live with each other — that’s Kamala’s vision. That’s Tim’s vision."

The former president spoke after his wife, Michelle Obama, whose speech mixed optimism with a dire call to "do something."

'Hope is making a comeback'

"Something wonderfully magical is in the air, isn’t it?" she said. "We’re feeling it here in this arena, but it’s spreading all across this country. A familiar feeling that’s been buried too deep for far too long ... America, hope is making a comeback."

The former first lady also warned of the criticisms that will come Harris' way from the Trump campaign, noting that she and her husband are familiar with Trump's attacks.

"Unfortunately, we know what comes next. We know folks are going to try to distort her truth. His limited, narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two highly educated, successful people who happened to be Black," Michelle Obama said, also taking aim at Trump's recent comment regarding "Black jobs."

"Who’s going to tell him that the job he’s currently seeking might be one of those Black jobs?" she asked.

Michelle Obama urged voters to do everything in their power to elect two "good, big-hearted people" in Harris and Walz. "Don’t just sit around and complain, do something. If they lie about her, and they will, we’ve got to do something. If we see a bad poll, and we will, we’ve got to do something."

'A joyful warrior'

Introduced by his son Cole, second gentleman Doug Emhoff also spoke on Tuesday, highlighting his middle class upbringing in New Jersey before a job change brought the family to California.

"Money was tight, so I worked in high school at McDonald's for some extra cash," he said, noting that he still has his employee of the month photo. Then he waited tables and parked cars while working full-time so he could take college classes part-time. "Thanks to partial scholarships, student loans and a little help from my dad, I got myself through law school," Emhoff said.

Emhoff spoke of being set up on a blind date with Harris in 2013, a year before they married. "As I got to know her better and just fell in love fast, I learned what drives Kamala, and it’s what you’ve seen over these past four years and especially these past four weeks. She finds joy in pursuing justice. She stands up to bullies, just like my parents taught me. Her empathy is her strength. Over the past decade, Kamala has connected me more deeply to my faith, even though it’s not the same as hers."

He addressed the role Harris played when she became stepmother to his children.

"As soon as my kids started calling her Momala, I knew we'd be OK," he said, adding that his daughter Ella "calls us a three-headed parenting machine."

Emhoff addressed his "big, beautiful, blended family" in the audience, including both of his children, his parents and his former wife.

"Kamala is a joyful warrior," he said. "Her passion will benefit all of us when she’s our president. And here’s the thing about joyful warriors — they’re still warriors, and Kamala is as tough as it comes. She knows the best way to deal with a coward is head on ... Kamala knows that in order to win, we cannot lose focus. You have to decide who to trust with your family’s future. I trusted Kamala with my family’s future, and it was the best decision I’ve ever made."

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