For years, President Trump has used Illinois Governor JB Pritzker’s weight as material, at rallies, in the Oval Office, and most memorably at the 2025 White House turkey pardon, where he called Pritzker a“big, fat slob.”This week, a reporter asked Pritzker about the insults, and he answered with one calm sentence:“I think he’s jealous of my weight loss.”He then posted the interview clip on X with the caption“Jealousy is a disease,”and the internet has been running with it ever since.
The context makes the comeback land harder. Pritzker has lost roughly 80 pounds since spring 2024, using a GLP-1 medication after a Type 2 diabetes diagnosis. Trump’s May physical, meanwhile, listed him at 238 pounds, up 14 from April 2025, with his doctors advising weight loss and exercise. So the body jokes now cut in a direction the president probably didn’t plan on.
The exchange is also tangled up in Trump’s wider feud with Illinois, from Guard deployments to his re-endorsement of Republican challenger Darren Bailey in the 2026 governor’s race. But the moment everyone’s talking about is the three-word caption that turned years of mockery into a punchline.
Do you think turning a weight insult back on the person who threw it is fair game, or should bodies stay out of politics entirely? Sound off in the comments.
About the Author
Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.