Chicago (CBS) — Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker is one of President Joe Biden's strongest supporters, but he was caught on a heated microphone making comments at a crime-fighting event on Wednesday that appeared to be about the current state of the presidential election.
“So, we're just going to keep fighting. I don't know what to say. We've just got to do what we have to do,” Pritzker told a man at the event. “I don't like where we are, but…”
Jordan Abdayeh, deputy director of communications for Governor Pritzker's office, said: [Pritzker] We were talking about the state of the presidential election.”
Meanwhile, some of Chicago's wealthy residents had planned to loosen their purse strings for President Biden in Chicago next month, but a fundraising lunch for Chicago's wealthy Democrats has been canceled, sources told CNN. Potential hosts called off the lunch as questions swirl about Biden's campaign and whether the president should continue to run for another term.
Pritzker later spoke to reporters at the same event, speaking on a hot mic, about the cancellation and downplayed its significance.
“I think it's all in flux right now, and I honestly think the president is doing a good job of fundraising. You see all the money that's been raised online for the Biden-Harris campaign. I know fundraising is ongoing,” Pritzker said. “So I think any rumors that you've heard about that are exaggerated.”
Pritzker also highlighted the threat posed by the return of former president and current presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.
“Let's start with the fact that he's going to sign an anti-abortion bill that will affect everyone in the state of Illinois, not to mention the city of Chicago,” Pritzker said. “He's going to hurt working families. He wants to institute tariffs, and you know what that's going to do? Massive inflation. That's what Donald Trump is all about.”
He called former President Trump a “convicted criminal,” a “born-in-crime liar” and a “vindictive, selfish and egocentric individual.”
“Donald Trump will use every tool he has to attack people across the country, and I'm talking about the people in the city of Chicago who didn't vote for him,” Pritzker said.
But reporters continued to ask questions about President Biden, and some reports have suggested Pritzker himself is being mentioned as a possible successor to Biden.
“I endorse Joe Biden and Kamala Harris for president,” he said, “and I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure they win.”
Pritzker also stressed that Biden has made an impression in public despite his poor performance in last month's debate, which led to calls for him to withdraw.
“He's talking to the public. He's talking to reporters. That's what we want from him,” Pritzker said. “And let's not forget, he went to the NATO summit. It's very important to demonstrate American strength at the NATO summit. And here's one thing Donald Trump wants to get rid of: NATO.”
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson also attended Wednesday's crime-fighting event. On Tuesday night, President Biden held a conference call with Democratic mayors to try to solidify support for his nomination ahead of the Democratic National Convention, including Mayor Johnson.
“What I said is, we support him,” Johnson said. “There's only one person in this country who has beaten Donald Trump.”
The move comes as a growing list of prominent Democrats, including Hollywood star George Clooney, calls for the president to step down.
In an op-ed published in The New York Times on Wednesday, Clooney wrote that Biden A crushing defeat in the debate last month.
“We cannot win the election in November with this president,” Clooney wrote. “Not only that, but he will not win the House and he will lose the Senate. This is not just my opinion, but the opinion of every Senator, Representative and Governor I have spoken to personally.”
Clooney's op-ed came less than a month after he hosted the star-studded show. Biden campaign fundraising Among them were former President Barack Obama, talk show host Jimmy Kimmel and actress Julia Roberts.
But Clooney's support for the president now appears to be fading.
“It shocks me to say this, but the Joe Biden I was sitting with at a fundraiser three weeks ago was not the 'big' Joe Biden of 2010,” he wrote. “He wasn't even the Joe Biden of 2020. He was the same person we all witnessed at the debates.”
David Axelrod, director of the University of Chicago's Institute of Politics and former senior adviser to President Barack Obama and chief strategist for the Obama campaign, commented on Clooney's comments on Wednesday night.
“Look, I think there's merit to it,” Axelrod said. “It's all about a risk assessment. You need a risk assessment for everything. The question is, do the risks of maintaining the status quo outweigh the risks of trying something else? And I think we're getting to the point where a lot of people are coming to that conclusion.”
Axelrod added that Clooney's perception of Biden's decline is “devastating.”
“And that's what people are afraid of,” Axelrod said.
meanwhile, 9 House Democrats Many lawmakers, including Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.), have also directly called on Biden to drop out of the race.
“The same fighting spirit, pride and courage that served our country four years ago and helped Joe Biden win will defeat the nominee this time. Biden has no choice but to resign because he cannot win, and his colleagues need to realize that,” Quigley said Tuesday. “A resignation letter is not going to change anyone's mind.”
But some other Illinois Democrat Many lawmakers, including Reps. Jonathan Jackson, Robin Kelly, Danny Davis and Jan Schakowsky, reiterated their support for Biden.
So far, President Biden has steadfastly refused to go anywhere.
