Illinois Governor JB Pritzker is once again attempting to mislead the public regarding the staggering violence gripping Chicago. In a recent interview, Fox News host Bret Baier confronted him head-on, laying bare the inconvenient truths about the city’s sky-high murder rate.
“Why does Chicago have the highest murder rate of all the big cities?” Baier pressed, clearly unyielding in his pursuit of the truth.
Pritzker’s response was nothing short of astonishing. While he claimed, “We are not in the top 30 in terms of our murder rate,” this assertion blatantly contradicts the evidence. Baier swiftly presented a map that revealed Chicago’s murder rate stands at an alarming 17.47 homicides per 100,000 people—far exceeding major cities like Philadelphia, Dallas, and New York City.
The statistics don’t lie. According to data, Chicago topped the list with 573 murders last year, a harrowing reality that no amount of political spin can obscure. As of mid-October, the Chicago Police Department reported 347 homicides this year alone, solidifying its position as the most dangerous major city in America.
In a last-ditch effort to deflect, Pritzker insisted that his administration had successfully halved the murder rate in recent years while simultaneously claiming reductions in other violent crimes. Yet, the facts remain crystal clear—cutting the murder rate in half still leaves Chicago at the top of the list.
Critics wasted no time in calling out the governor’s blatant misinformation. Elon Musk emphatically stated, “JB Pritzker just flat out lied about an obvious fact.” Former NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch wittily noted, “Cut in half and still number one. Great job, @GovPritzker.” The accountability for this chilling rise in violence cannot be ignored, and the citizens of Chicago deserve better.
It’s time for leaders to stop playing politics and start taking responsibility. The safety of our cities is paramount, and the people of Illinois demand action, not excuses.
