Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker accused White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller of exploiting President Trump’s declining mental sharpness to push an aggressive anti-immigration agenda. Speaking on The Bulwark podcast with host Tim Miller, Pritzker argued that Trump’s inner circle is deliberately avoiding efforts to address his condition in order to maintain influence and control.
“I do think he needs help,” Pritzker said, referring to the president. “But no one close to him seems interested in getting him that help because they benefit from his diminished capacity.”
Pritzker singled out Stephen Miller as the driving force behind the administration’s hardline immigration tactics, pointing to his influence over agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. “He’s the one steering these policies,” Pritzker said. “It’s clear that he’s trying to shape Trump into an authoritarian figure. Stephen Miller is dangerous for the country, and he’s taking advantage of Trump’s weakened state.”
Miller has been central to Trump’s immigration efforts, publicly touting large-scale deportation goals earlier this year. In a May interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity, he said the administration’s target was 3,000 federal immigration arrests per day. “President Trump will keep pushing to raise that number higher every single day until we remove all the Biden-era illegals who poured into our country,” Miller said.
The escalating immigration crackdown has led to the deployment of National Guard units in cities like Chicago, a move Pritzker has harshly condemned. He has been one of the administration’s most vocal critics, arguing that the federal actions are politically motivated and unnecessarily militarized.
The tension between the governor and the White House deepened last week after Trump suggested both Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson should be jailed. Pritzker dismissed the threat with a pointed retort: “Come and get me.”
The remarks underscore the growing friction between state and federal leaders over immigration enforcement, as well as Pritzker’s broader warning that Trump’s advisers—particularly Stephen Miller—are using the president’s vulnerability to advance their own political agenda.