Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker tries to chart a path for national Democrats to counter Trump

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker sits at a table surrounded by University of Illinois researchers who will soon be out of work, their lab set to lose its federal funding and close next month. One researcher, saying she feels betrayed by the government, turns to thank Pritzker.

“My husband sometimes shows me videos of you talking,” says Aline Delpomdor, a research specialist at the university’s Soybean Innovation Lab. “This was the first thing that gave me hope — that someone is speaking out. Somebody is defending us.”

Pritzker, a billionaire heir to the Hyatt hotel empire, may seem like an unlikely champion for working-class people affected by the Trump administration. But he’s taken aim at President Donald Trump’s potential tax cuts, while backing universal health care and a higher federal minimum wage.

The governor used a statewide tour this past week to present a path forward for national Democrats struggling to unify around a strategy to counter the Republican president, highlighting the effects of Trump’s early actions in Illinois. The three-day swing included meeting with farmers in a central Illinois barn to discuss agriculture and with older adults in suburban Chicago who are concerned about Social Security cuts.

While far from the center of power in Washington, the stops resemble those of a future presidential contender in Iowa, New Hampshire or South Carolina.

“How do you play a role when you don’t have a vote?” Pritzker said in an interview with The Associated Press. “It’s hopefully reminding people who we are as a country, in a moment when I think people haven’t really stepped back and thought enough about democracy and our history — reminding people of that, using the bully pulpit to talk about that and then rallying the troops.”

Pritzker has built alliances within the party for years as a top donor to Democratic campaigns and causes, giving millions from his personal fortune and helping candidates raise money. That includes a recent $500,000 donation that went to support the Democratic-backed candidate in next month's Wisconsin Supreme Court race, a contest with big implications for the swing state and an election seen as a test of the national political climate.

Lesser known than other potential 2028 contenders, Pritzker drew national attention in February when he used a joint budget and State of the State address to make the case for a parallel between Trump’s rhetoric and the rise of Nazi Germany.

“If you think I’m overreacting and sounding the alarm too soon, consider this: It took the Nazis one month, three weeks, two days, eight hours and 40 minutes to dismantle a constitutional republic,” Pritzker said.

The speech stood in stark contrast to many of Pritzker's fellow Democratic governors — who, at the same time, were on their way to Washington for face-to-face meetings with the newly sworn-in president. Pritzker skipped the gathering of the National Governors Association.

Since then, the divide between Pritzker and other Democratic governors, particularly those potentially eyeing the party’s 2028 presidential nomination, has only widened.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer recently sat for a one-on-one meeting with Trump as she seeks to find “ common ground ” with him. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has launched a podcast in which he had friendly conversations with Trump loyalists, including Steve Bannon.

Some Illinois Republicans walked out of the chamber during Pritzker's speech. The state GOP has criticized Pritzker for overspending and helping create a migrant crisis in Chicago.

“All the while, he jet-sets across the country giving political speeches, more interested in headlines and presidential speculation than actually governing this state,” Illinois Republican Party Chairman Don Tracy said.

Pritzker has not relented in his criticism of Trump. On Tuesday, the governor spoke at the liberal Center for American Progress in Washington, where he described Trump’s early months as “true villainous cruelty by a few idiots.” During his meeting Wednesday with farmers in central Illinois, he warned that their “way of life is under attack right now.”

“People will go out of business, lose jobs. And the impact on our broader economy, not just in the state of Illinois, but in the United States, could be truly devastating,” Pritzker told a barn full of farmers at a roundtable in Urbana, adding that they risk becoming “collateral damage” in Trump’s efforts.

He has not spared Democrats, either.

At the same roundtable — the kickoff of his statewide tour — Pritzker blasted the Senate's top Democrat, Chuck Schumer of New York, and other Democratic senators who backed a Republican-led spending bill. Pritzker said their support was an “enormous mistake.”

U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski, D-Ill., who joined Pritzker at the roundtable, said the governor is helping "localize and tell the story of what this will mean for people.”

Earlier, Pritzker stopped by the Soybean Innovation Lab, which is set to shut down April 15 with 30 employees set to be laid off.

Delpomdor told Pritzker the cuts meant “everything we have done all these years is just lost.” Peter Goldsmith, the lab’s director, called the closure of the decade-old lab “surreal,” adding, “You can’t just grin and bear it.”

“Very little thought has gone into the decisions that have been made," Pritzker said. “And I think that six months from now, if we’re good enough at this, we will have been able to make some arguments that, maybe they've gone too far.”

He also told the AP he is “optimistic because we are going to fight.”

“It’s not that I think if we all just sit back that four years will go by and everything will be fine," he said. "I think we need to put the work in, and I’m optimistic that we will.”

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is pictured in reflection during a visit to the Soybean Innovation Lab at the University of Illinois, which is impacted by DOGE funding cuts, in Urbana, Ill., Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker talks during a visit to the Soybean Innovation Lab at University of Illinois, which is impacted by DOGE funding cuts, in Urbana, Ill., Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker visits the Soybean Innovation Lab at the University of Illinois, which is impacted by DOGE funding cuts, in Urbana, Ill., Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker talks as Illinois Department of Agriculture Director Jerry Costello ll, from left, and Rep. Nikki Budzinski, D-Ill., listen during a roundtable discussion on impacts of the Trump Administration's actions on climate-smart agriculture and local farm economy, at Sola Gratia Farm in Urbana, Ill., Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker listens to a question during a roundtable discussion on impacts of the Trump Administration's actions on climate-smart agriculture and local farm economy at Sola Gratia Farm in Urbana, Ill., Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker talks during a roundtable discussion on impacts of the Trump Administration's actions on climate-smart agriculture and local farm economy at Sola Gratia Farm in Urbana, Ill., Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker listens to Eric Sedivy, assistant director of Soybean Innovation Lab, during a visit to the lab at the University of Illinois, which is impacted by DOGE funding cuts, in Urbana, Ill., Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker talks during a visit to Soybean Innovation Lab at the University of Illinois, which is impacted by DOGE funding cuts, in Urbana, Ill., Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, right, talks with Dr. Peter Goldsmith, Director of Soybean Innovation Lab, during visit at the University of Illinois's National Soybean Research Laboratory in Urbana, Ill., Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker listens to David Richardson, right, associate vice chancellor for research, during a visit to the Soybean Innovation Lab at University of Illinois, which is impacted by DOGE funding cuts, in Urbana, Ill., Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is meeting with oil executives at the White House on Friday in hopes of securing $100 billion in investments to revive Venezuela’s ability to fully tap into its expansive reserves of petroleum — a plan that rides on their comfort in making commitments in a country plagued by instability, inflation and uncertainty.

Since the U.S. military raid to capture former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro on Saturday, Trump has quickly pivoted to portraying the move as a newfound economic opportunity for the U.S., seizing tankers carrying Venezuelan oil, saying the U.S. is taking over the sales of 30 million to 50 million barrels of previously sanctioned Venezuelan oil and will be controlling sales worldwide indefinitely.

On Friday, U.S. forces seized their fifth tanker over the past month that has been linked to Venezuelan oil. The action reflected the determination of the U.S. to fully control the exporting, refining and production of Venezuelan petroleum, a sign of the Trump administration's plans for ongoing involvement in the sector as it seeks commitments from private companies.

It's all part of a broader push by Trump to keep gasoline prices low. At a time when many Americans are concerned about affordability, the incursion in Venezuela melds Trump’s assertive use of presidential powers with an optical spectacle meant to convince Americans that he can bring down energy prices.

The meeting, set for 2:30 p.m. EST, will be open to the news media, according to an update to the president's daily schedule. “At least 100 Billion Dollars will be invested by BIG OIL, all of whom I will be meeting with today at The White House,” Trump said Friday in a pre-dawn social media post.

Trump is set to meet with executives from 17 oil companies, according to the White House. Among the companies attending are Chevron, which still operates in Venezuela, and ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips, which both had oil projects in the country that were lost as part of a 2007 nationalization of private businesses under Maduro’s predecessor, Hugo Chávez.

The president is meeting with a wide swath of domestic and international companies with interests ranging from construction to the commodity markets. Other companies slated to be at the meeting include Halliburton, Valero, Marathon, Shell, Singapore-based Trafigura, Italy-based Eni and Spain-based Repsol.

Large U.S. oil companies have so far largely refrained from affirming investments in Venezuela as contracts and guarantees need to be in place. Trump has suggested on social media that America would help to backstop any investments.

Venezuela’s oil production has slumped below one million barrels a day. Part of Trump's challenge to turn that around will be to convince oil companies that his administration has a stable relationship with Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodríguez, as well as protections for companies entering the market.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum are slated to attend the oil executives meeting, according to the White House.

Meanwhile, the United States and Venezuelan governments said Friday they were exploring the possibility of r estoring diplomatic relations between the two countries, and that a delegation from the Trump administration arrived to the South American nation on Friday.

The small team of U.S. diplomats and diplomatic security officials traveled to Venezuela to make a preliminary assessment about the potential re-opening of the U.S. Embassy in Caracas, the State Department said in a statement.

Trump also announced on Friday he’d meet with President Gustavo Petro in early February, but called on the Colombian leader to make quick progress on stemming flow of cocaine into the U.S.

Trump, following the ouster of Maduro, had made vague threats to take similar action against Petro. Trump abruptly changed his tone Wednesday about his Colombian counterpart after a friendly phone call in which he invited Petro to visit the White House.

President Donald Trump waves as he walks off stage after speaking to House Republican lawmakers during their annual policy retreat, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)