Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker recently made headlines with a satirical response to President Donald Trump's unconventional executive orders. In a choreographed video, Pritzker humorously announced the renaming of Lake Michigan to 'Lake Illinois,' in a playful nod to Trump's renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America.
Pritzker, with a straight face, declared that the world's top geographers had decided that a great lake deserved to be named after a great state, leading to the proclamation changing Lake Michigan's name. The Governor even joked about annexing Green Bay from Wisconsin, mirroring Trump's interest in acquiring Greenland.
Trump's Executive Order 14172, which also renamed Mount McKinley to 'Mount McKinley,' has stirred controversy. Google has yet to update its maps to reflect these changes, awaiting updates from the Department of the Interior.
The video ended with Pritzker teasing an upcoming announcement regarding the Mississippi River, all while cheekily referencing the rivalry between the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers.
However, this light-hearted moment comes amidst serious legal disputes between Illinois and the federal government. The Justice Department recently filed a lawsuit against the state and Chicago, alleging interference with federal immigration enforcement through sanctuary policies.
Pritzker and Trump have clashed on various issues, including birthright citizenship. Trump's executive order challenging the 14th Amendment's interpretation of citizenship has been met with strong opposition from Pritzker, who deemed it unconstitutional.
These interactions between Pritzker and Trump have a history, with past disagreements over the distribution of personal protective equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic. The dynamic between the Illinois Governor and the President continues to be a mix of humor and serious policy disputes.
