‘Incredibly detrimental’: Trump’s tariffs under fire as Illinois leaders push back

CHICAGO (WGN) — Top local leaders have continued their pushback against President Donald Trump’s tariff plan from City Hall to the Statehouse.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson kicked off Chicago’s construction season on Tuesday, highlighting his $1.25 billion housing and economic development bond. Still, Trump’s global tariffs and other nations’ retaliation plans worry Johnson and top local officials. 

“These taxes on working people are incredibly detrimental,” Johnson said. 

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The mayor says he’s moving forward with his infrastructure investments despite the tariffs. Meanwhile, on the state level, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has been in touch with foreign nations hoping to expand business partnerships. After securing a non-binding corporation agreement with Mexico last week, Pritzker on Tuesday signed a similar pact with the United Kingdom. 

“My concern is to do everything I can to protect the businesses and the people doing business in the state of Illinois,” Pritzker said. 

Pritzker, widely viewed as a future presidential candidate, is one of several Democratic Party governors playing attack dog against the Trump administration. 

“Donald Trump is betraying the economy,” he said. 

As Pritzker takes aim at the White House, Illinois State Rep. Brad Fritts is among Illinois Republicans going after Pritzker and calling out the political maneuvering. 

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“Unfortunately, our governor is more worried about running for president than running his own state agencies,” Fritts said. 

The governor dismisses the criticism, however. 

“When I talk about what’s going on in Washington, DC, it is about protecting Illinois,” Pritzker said. “I don’t think, in this circumstance, that anybody who holds state office can not talk about what’s going on at the federal level and the impact that will have on state government and our budget.”

The governor acknowledged that he could only do so much in terms of working with foreign nations if Washington continued the tariff policy.