Fox News host Bret Baier did what few journalists have the courage to do when he held Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker accountable for his state’s deadly public safety failures.
During a Thursday interview on Fox News, Baier confronted the Democrat over Chicago having “the highest murder rate of all the big cities.”
“Why does Chicago have the highest murder rate of all the big cities?” Baier asked bluntly.
Pritzker didn’t flinch. “Well, we are not in the top 30 in terms of our murder rate,” he claimed.
He went on to insist, “Our murder rate has been cut in half over the last four years, and every year it’s gone down by double digits.”
But Baier stopped him cold. “Here’s a map,” the host said before the network pulled up hard data that told the real story.
“Most populous U.S. cities — 17.47 per 100,000 population,” Baier explained. “Chicago is number one over Philadelphia, Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Phoenix, Los Angeles, New York, and San Diego.”
The map left no room for interpretation, and so the Democrat pivoted before Baier cut him off.
“No, you’re talking about violent crime,” Baier said.
Pritzker tried to deflect again.
Baier: Why does Chicago have the highest m*rder rate of all the big cities?
Pritzker: We are not in the top 30 in terms of our m*rder rate…
*Shows map indicating Chicago has highest m*rder rate of big cities*
Pritzker: Look, you can pull statistics up….and also…but Trump pic.twitter.com/bkwVPlZX4S
— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) October 23, 2025
“Look, you can pull statistics up …”
Baier cut him off again and said, “No, no, no, these are murders.”
The governor’s spin proved fruitless. The reality of Chicago’s numbers speaks louder than any Democratic Party talking point.
Pritzker then shifted into the role of spin doctor.
“I’m explaining to you that our murder rate has been cut in half,” he said, “We’ve invested in community violence interruption. We’ve invested in police. I’ve added more state police than any governor in quite a long time.”
He even tried to pivot to partisan blame, and guess who he pointed his finger at?
“We’re doing that, and you know who’s doing the opposite? Donald Trump,” Pritzker said.
Even if his claim rings true, what exactly was cut in half?
A few years ago, in 2021, Chicago saw more than 800 murders in a single year.
Cutting that down to 400 or 500 bodies isn’t the victory Pritzker wants anyone rational to think it is.
Saying you’ve reduced murders by half when you still lead the nation in killings is tragic.
Would you travel to Chicago for a summer vacation on Lake Michigan if all expenses were paid?
None of this is to even mention Chicago’s shooting victims who survive.
The body count doesn’t include the many men, women, and children saved by trauma surgeons every weekend when the city’s crime makes national headlines.
Chicago’s homicide problem has long been a national embarrassment that Democrats can’t spin away.
The difference now is leadership in Washington.
President Donald Trump has shown he’s willing to save lives by sending in federal support to cities like D.C. and Memphis to quell violence.
Pritzker is more interested in defending his position than defending the vulnerable people of his state’s largest city.
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