Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker tries to chart a path for national Democrats to counter Trump

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker sits at a table surrounded by University of Illinois researchers who will soon be out of work, their lab set to lose its federal funding and close next month. One researcher, saying she feels betrayed by the government, turns to thank Pritzker.

“My husband sometimes shows me videos of you talking,” says Aline Delpomdor, a research specialist at the university’s Soybean Innovation Lab. “This was the first thing that gave me hope — that someone is speaking out. Somebody is defending us.”

Pritzker, a billionaire heir to the Hyatt hotel empire, may seem like an unlikely champion for working-class people affected by the Trump administration. But he’s taken aim at President Donald Trump’s potential tax cuts, while backing universal health care and a higher federal minimum wage.

The governor used a statewide tour this past week to present a path forward for national Democrats struggling to unify around a strategy to counter the Republican president, highlighting the effects of Trump’s early actions in Illinois. The three-day swing included meeting with farmers in a central Illinois barn to discuss agriculture and with older adults in suburban Chicago who are concerned about Social Security cuts.

While far from the center of power in Washington, the stops resemble those of a future presidential contender in Iowa, New Hampshire or South Carolina.

“How do you play a role when you don’t have a vote?” Pritzker said in an interview with The Associated Press. “It’s hopefully reminding people who we are as a country, in a moment when I think people haven’t really stepped back and thought enough about democracy and our history — reminding people of that, using the bully pulpit to talk about that and then rallying the troops.”

Pritzker has built alliances within the party for years as a top donor to Democratic campaigns and causes, giving millions from his personal fortune and helping candidates raise money. That includes a recent $500,000 donation that went to support the Democratic-backed candidate in next month's Wisconsin Supreme Court race, a contest with big implications for the swing state and an election seen as a test of the national political climate.

Lesser known than other potential 2028 contenders, Pritzker drew national attention in February when he used a joint budget and State of the State address to make the case for a parallel between Trump’s rhetoric and the rise of Nazi Germany.

“If you think I’m overreacting and sounding the alarm too soon, consider this: It took the Nazis one month, three weeks, two days, eight hours and 40 minutes to dismantle a constitutional republic,” Pritzker said.

The speech stood in stark contrast to many of Pritzker's fellow Democratic governors — who, at the same time, were on their way to Washington for face-to-face meetings with the newly sworn-in president. Pritzker skipped the gathering of the National Governors Association.

Since then, the divide between Pritzker and other Democratic governors, particularly those potentially eyeing the party’s 2028 presidential nomination, has only widened.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer recently sat for a one-on-one meeting with Trump as she seeks to find “ common ground ” with him. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has launched a podcast in which he had friendly conversations with Trump loyalists, including Steve Bannon.

Some Illinois Republicans walked out of the chamber during Pritzker's speech. The state GOP has criticized Pritzker for overspending and helping create a migrant crisis in Chicago.

“All the while, he jet-sets across the country giving political speeches, more interested in headlines and presidential speculation than actually governing this state,” Illinois Republican Party Chairman Don Tracy said.

Pritzker has not relented in his criticism of Trump. On Tuesday, the governor spoke at the liberal Center for American Progress in Washington, where he described Trump’s early months as “true villainous cruelty by a few idiots.” During his meeting Wednesday with farmers in central Illinois, he warned that their “way of life is under attack right now.”

“People will go out of business, lose jobs. And the impact on our broader economy, not just in the state of Illinois, but in the United States, could be truly devastating,” Pritzker told a barn full of farmers at a roundtable in Urbana, adding that they risk becoming “collateral damage” in Trump’s efforts.

He has not spared Democrats, either.

At the same roundtable — the kickoff of his statewide tour — Pritzker blasted the Senate's top Democrat, Chuck Schumer of New York, and other Democratic senators who backed a Republican-led spending bill. Pritzker said their support was an “enormous mistake.”

U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski, D-Ill., who joined Pritzker at the roundtable, said the governor is helping "localize and tell the story of what this will mean for people.”

Earlier, Pritzker stopped by the Soybean Innovation Lab, which is set to shut down April 15 with 30 employees set to be laid off.

Delpomdor told Pritzker the cuts meant “everything we have done all these years is just lost.” Peter Goldsmith, the lab’s director, called the closure of the decade-old lab “surreal,” adding, “You can’t just grin and bear it.”

“Very little thought has gone into the decisions that have been made," Pritzker said. “And I think that six months from now, if we’re good enough at this, we will have been able to make some arguments that, maybe they've gone too far.”

He also told the AP he is “optimistic because we are going to fight.”

“It’s not that I think if we all just sit back that four years will go by and everything will be fine," he said. "I think we need to put the work in, and I’m optimistic that we will.”

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is pictured in reflection during a visit to the Soybean Innovation Lab at the University of Illinois, which is impacted by DOGE funding cuts, in Urbana, Ill., Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker talks during a visit to the Soybean Innovation Lab at University of Illinois, which is impacted by DOGE funding cuts, in Urbana, Ill., Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker visits the Soybean Innovation Lab at the University of Illinois, which is impacted by DOGE funding cuts, in Urbana, Ill., Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker talks as Illinois Department of Agriculture Director Jerry Costello ll, from left, and Rep. Nikki Budzinski, D-Ill., listen during a roundtable discussion on impacts of the Trump Administration's actions on climate-smart agriculture and local farm economy, at Sola Gratia Farm in Urbana, Ill., Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker listens to a question during a roundtable discussion on impacts of the Trump Administration's actions on climate-smart agriculture and local farm economy at Sola Gratia Farm in Urbana, Ill., Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker talks during a roundtable discussion on impacts of the Trump Administration's actions on climate-smart agriculture and local farm economy at Sola Gratia Farm in Urbana, Ill., Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker listens to Eric Sedivy, assistant director of Soybean Innovation Lab, during a visit to the lab at the University of Illinois, which is impacted by DOGE funding cuts, in Urbana, Ill., Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker talks during a visit to Soybean Innovation Lab at the University of Illinois, which is impacted by DOGE funding cuts, in Urbana, Ill., Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, right, talks with Dr. Peter Goldsmith, Director of Soybean Innovation Lab, during visit at the University of Illinois's National Soybean Research Laboratory in Urbana, Ill., Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker listens to David Richardson, right, associate vice chancellor for research, during a visit to the Soybean Innovation Lab at University of Illinois, which is impacted by DOGE funding cuts, in Urbana, Ill., Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

PARIS (AP) — French actor Gérard Depardieu went on trial Monday in Paris on charges of sexually assaulting two women on a movie set, in a case seen as a potential watershed for the #MeToo movement in France.

Depardieu, 76, is accused of having groped a 54-year-old set dresser and a 34-year-old assistant director during filming in 2021 of “Les Volets Verts” (“The Green Shutters”).

The actor denies any wrongdoing. Depardieu told the judges he was prepared to answer the court’s questions.

“We will be able to show in an impartial, objective and incontestable manner that all of the accusations are lies,” his attorney, Jérémie Assous, told journalists massed outside the courtroom.

“The truth will be obvious and the truth is on our side,” he said.

Prosecutors allege the assaults included obscene remarks and inappropriate touching, including an incident in which Depardieu allegedly used his legs to trap one of the women before groping her in front of other crew members.

The Associated Press doesn’t name people who say they were sexually assaulted unless they consent to being identified. Neither has in this case.

The two-day trial was initially scheduled for October but was postponed because of Depardieu’s health. A verdict is expected at a later date.

Depardieu grasped his lawyer's shoulder as he strode calmly into the courtroom. The actor has undergone a quadruple heart bypass and has diabetes, according to his lawyer. A court-appointed medical expert determined that he’s fit to stand trial. He is expected to attend the hearing, reportedly with scheduled breaks.

Carine Durrieu Diebolt, the lawyer for one of the two plaintiffs, said on France Info radio that her client “is calmly awaiting the outcome of the case ... because the case is solid.”

Durrieu Diebolt said four additional women who say they have been sexually assaulted by Depardieu will speak at the trial.

This is the first time that Depardieu, one of France’s most prominent film actors, has been tried over sexual assault allegations. He has previously been accused publicly or in formal complaints of misconduct by more than 20 women, but no other case has proceeded to court. Some were dropped because of a lack of evidence or the statute of limitations.

In a separate case, French actor Charlotte Arnould accused Depardieu of two rapes allegedly committed in August 2018. Depardieu was charged in 2020 with rape and sexual assault in that case, and in August prosecutors requested it go to trial. A magistrate has yet to make the decision.

In an open letter published in Le Figaro in October 2023, Depardieu wrote: “Never, but never, have I abused a woman.”

Before the opening of the trial, activists gathered outside the courthouse. A dozen from the “Bruit qui court" collective performed a choreographed dance to techno music while chanting: “Sexist violence, complicit judicial system.”

Depardieu had dropped out of sight in recent months, his film career seemingly on hold. But he still has friends in the industry. Actors Vincent Perez and Fanny Ardant were among those who took seats on his side of the courtroom.

Associated Press writer Thomas Adamson contributed to this report.

Actor Gerard Depardieu arrives with his lawyer Jeremie Assous, right, to face trial for the alleged sexual assaults of two women on a film set in 2021, Monday, March 24, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)

Actor Gerard Depardieu, center, who is facing trial for the alleged sexual assaults of two women on a film set in 2021, arrives with his lawyer Jeremie Assous, right, Monday, March 24, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Actor Gerard Depardieu arrives with his lawyer Jeremie Assous, right, to face trial for the alleged sexual assaults of two women on a film set in 2021, Monday, March 24, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)

Actor Gerard Depardieu, center, who is facing trial for the alleged sexual assaults of two women on a film set in 2021, arrives Monday, March 24, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Actor Gerard Depardieu, center, who is facing trial for the alleged sexual assaults of two women on a film set in 2021, arrives with his lawyer Jeremie Assous, right, Monday, March 24, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Actor Gerard Depardieu, left, arrives with his lawyer Jeremie Assous to face trial for the alleged sexual assaults of two women on a film set in 2021, Monday, March 24, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)

Actor Gerard Depardieu arrives to face trial for the alleged sexual assaults of two women on a film set in 2021, Monday, March 24, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)

Actor Anouk Grinberg, left, enters the courtroom as actor Gerard Depardieu faces trial for the alleged sexual assaults of two women on a film set in 2021, Monday, March 24, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)

Actor Charlotte Arnould, center, arrives at the courtroom, while Depardieu, who is facing trial for the alleged sexual assaults of two women on a film set in 2021, arrives Monday, March 24, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Actor Anouk Grinberg answers reporters outside the courtroom before actor Gerard Depardieu faces trial for the alleged sexual assaults of two women on a film set in 2021, Monday, March 24, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Women demonstrate outside the palace of justice where actor Gerard Depardieu faces trial for the alleged sexual assaults of two women on a film set in 2021, Monday, March 24, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)

A woman holds a poster reading "Rapists, we see you" outside the palace of justice where actor Gerard Depardieu faces trial for the alleged sexual assaults of two women on a film set in 2021, Monday, March 24, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)

Actor Gerard Depardieu, center, who is facing trial for the alleged sexual assaults of two women on a film set in 2021, arrives with his lawyer Jeremie Assous, right, Monday, March 24, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Actor Gerard Depardieu, center, who is facing trial for the alleged sexual assaults of two women on a film set in 2021, arrives Monday, March 24, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Actor Gerard Depardieu arrives to face trial for the alleged sexual assaults of two women on a film set in 2021, Monday, March 24, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)

FILE - Actor Gerard Depardieu attends the premiere of the movie "Tour de France" in Paris, France, Monday, Nov. 14, 2016. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, File)

FILE - Actor Gerard Depardieu addresses the media during the press conference for the film 'Saint Amour' at the 2016 Berlinale Film Festival in Berlin, Germany, on Feb. 19, 2016. (AP Photo/Axel Schmidt, File)