Gov. Pritzker's remarks during address comparing MAGA to Nazis spark outrage

ILLINOIS - Governor J.B. Pritzker is facing criticism after comparing President Trump and the MAGA movement to Nazi Germany during his address to the Illinois General Assembly.

What we know:

"The authoritarian playbook is laid bare here," Pritzker said near the end of his address. "They point to a group of people who don’t look like you and tell you to blame them for their problems."

Pritzker’s comparison to 1930s Germany, right before Hitler consolidated power, has sparked mixed reactions. For some, it’s a chilling analogy; for others, a slanderous insult to the 2.4 million Illinoisans who voted for Trump.

"If you think I’m overreacting 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. I just have one question – what comes next?" Pritzker said.

What they're saying:

Some Republicans walked out during the speech. State Rep. John Cabello (R-Machesney Park) called Pritzker’s remarks "disgusting."

"It was disgusting," said Cabello. "Perception is reality and the perception is that he called every Republican a Nazi. That’s what he did. He needs to apologize and in my opinion he needs to resign."

David Shyovitz, a professor of history and chair of Jewish and Israel studies at Northwestern University, said comparisons to past autocratic regimes are fair, particularly considering efforts to consolidate power and scapegoat groups like the trans community and immigrants. 

However, he emphasized that any such comparison must be nuanced.

"In some ways, I think there’s a comparison worth examining there, but certainly not to the extent that one should say ‘there’s absolutely no difference between the MAGA and Nazi movements.’ That would be an absurd over-generalization," said Shyovitz.