Trump ’224 Lbs.’ With Cankles, Says Dem Governor Should Spend More Time at the Gym
The insult was not the first time the President has attacked J.B. Pritzker’s weight.
Donald Trump reportedly weighs 224 pounds, doesn’t like rigorous exercise and walks with swollen ankles these days, but the president has some advice for the Democrat governor of Illinois: do more exercise.
As the administration threatens to deploy troops in other cities beyond Washington, D.C., Trump lashed out at J.B. Pritzker, who has accused the president of trying to manufacture a crime crisis to abuse his power.

Photo Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily Beast/Getty
“I hate to barge in on a city and then be treated horribly by corrupt politicians and bad politicians like a guy like Pritzker,” Trump said in the Oval Office on Monday.

JB Pritzker at the Human Rights Campaign's 2025 Los Angeles Dinner in March.
Tommaso Boddi/Variety via Getty Images
“He ought to spend more time at the gym, actually. The guy is a disaster.”
The insult came as Trump’s crime crackdown in the nation’s capital enters its third week, with National Guard Troops now being armed as they wander the streets of D.C. with police, FBI agents, and other federal law enforcement officials.
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But Trump has now set his sights on other Democrat-run cities including Baltimore, New York, and Chicago.

WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES - AUGUST 24 : Members of the National Guard are seen at Union Station on August 24, 2025, in Washington D.C., United States. (Photo by Yasin Ozturk/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Anadolu/Anadolu via Getty Images
The move has enraged mayors and governors in those areas, including Pritzker.
“Donald Trump is attempting to manufacture a crisis, politicize Americans who serve in uniform, and continue abusing his power to distract from the pain he is causing working families,” he said in a statement over the weekend.
“We will continue to follow the law, stand up for the sovereignty of our state, and protect the people of Illinois.”
Trump’s comments about the Illinois governor needing to hit the gym are not the first time the president has gotten personal about Pritzker’s weight.
Earlier this month, he also touched on speculation that the Democrat firebrand could run for president in 2028, saying, “I notice he lost a little weight, so maybe he has a chance, you know?”
In turn, the often self-deprecating Pritzker replied by posting on X, “Donald, thanks for the compliment! Let’s not lie to the public, you and I both know you have no authority to take over Chicago. By the way, where are the Epstein files?”
The Chicago billionaire has also referenced his weight in political campaigning, occasionally using the banner of “Think Big” for campaigns and political funds.

Pritzker used the appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” to get ahead of Trump.
ABC
In May, during a light-hearted interview with Jimmy Kimmel, he even recited nicknames offered by Kimmel’s staff about his weight for Republican President Donald Trump to use.
“JB Pizza. JB Back Ribs. Jay Biggie. JB the Hut. J Pritzed His Pants. Pritz Crackers. Governor Big Shorts and JB ‘The Refrigerator’ Pritzker,” he joked.
Trump’s weight and overall health have also come under scrutiny in recent years, particularly in view of his swollen ankles and his bruised hand, which is often covered in make-up.
After his annual physical in April, Trump was recorded as 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighing 224 pounds.
But many have questioned the accuracy of the figures, which have fluctuated over the years.
For instance, in April 2023, when Trump was charged in New York with 34 felony counts related to business fraud, his booking documents stated he was 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighed 240 pounds.
Trump on Pritzker: "He ought to spend more time in the gym." pic.twitter.com/Yt6pJWFm4f
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 25, 2025
But three months later, when he surrendered at Fulton County Jail in Atlanta on charges of plotting to overturn the 2020 election, he was recorded at 6 feet and 3 inches tall and weighing 215 pounds - suggesting he grew an inch and lost 25 pounds.
In any case, social media users responded to Trump with their own insults on Monday, along with unflattering photos of the president playing golf or eating fast food.
“Has he seen himself in the mirror?” one person asked on X.
“Says the man that looks incredibly orange and can barely walk straight,” remarked another.
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