<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Governor JB Pritzker (D-IL) spoke about his weight-loss journey, revealing that he has used a GLP-1 medication to assist in losing 80 pounds.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This admission coincides with Pritzker's consideration of a potential 2028 presidential campaign while he seeks a third term as governor.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In interviews on Monday, Pritzker shared that he began his serious weight loss efforts in 2024.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“I honestly didn’t think about the fact that just two years ago at the Democratic convention, that I was 80 pounds heavier,” he told the Chicago Sun Times. “I didn’t notice that except that now I’ve seen pictures or video of myself, and now that I’ve had some success, I look in the mirror and I think about the videos and I think, ‘Wow, that’s quite a difference.’ And I guess other people see it, which is nice.”</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Pritzker mentioned that he has always struggled with his weight, attributing part of this to “bad genes.” His father, Donald Pritzker, died of a heart attack at age 39 in 1972 when JB was 7 years old.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“There are people who have it very easy their whole lives, and they’ve never struggled at all,” he said. “I’m just not that person.”</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">President Donald Trump has previously criticized Pritzker's weight on social media, referring to him as a “fat slob.” Pritzker responded, saying, “I think that it’s funny to me now that the president still calls me a fat slob … and I wasn’t before, by the way. But I’ve been overweight. Oh, by the way, he’s overweight. But I don’t really talk about that publicly … and it’s because I think it’s more like the content of your character that matters more, and I’ve always believed that. And that’s why I haven’t listened to people who say nasty things about me being overweight.”</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">At 61, Pritzker began taking GLP-1 medication and insulin to manage his blood sugar after being diagnosed with pre-diabetes and later Type II diabetes at age 58. He stopped insulin nine months ago.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In addition to the medication, Pritzker walks several miles along Lake Michigan each morning for exercise and monitors his diet, noting that previous diet attempts did not yield long-term results until he started the GLP-1 medication two years ago.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In an interview with CBS Mornings, he expressed feeling “a whole lot different and a whole lot better.”</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Pritzker did not confirm whether he will run for president in two years, stating he is currently focused on his role in Illinois.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“I’ve been driven my whole life to lose weight,” Pritzker said regarding the connection between his weight loss and potential presidential ambitions. “The fact that I’m now able to do it because this GLP-1 became available is truly … it’s something that has meant a lot to me.”</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“I have not made any decisions about what I might do in the future,” he added. “I can tell you I want to be the governor of the state of Illinois for a while longer.”</p>