Pritzker discloses GLP-1 use, says he has lost 80 pounds

Pritzker plays down 2028 presidential bid speculation

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker disclosed in a CBS News interview broadcast Monday that he has been taking a GLP-1 medication for two years, since being diagnosed with diabetes, and has lost 80 pounds. It was his first public confirmation of what had circulated for months in Illinois political circles as speculation about his use of such drugs, the Wall Street Journal reported.

“I’ve been overweight most of my life,” Pritzker said. He said he feels “a whole lot better,” walks about 4 miles most mornings, and has been told by his doctor he will likely need to take the medication indefinitely.

In discussing his weight, Pritzker pointed to his father’s death from a heart attack at age 39, while playing tennis in Hawaii as his mother watched. “He died in her arms,” Pritzker said.

The disclosure comes against a backdrop of repeated mockery from President Trump, who has called attention to Pritzker’s weight on multiple occasions. Trump has suggested Pritzker “spend more time in the gym” and called him a “slob” who “wants to eat all the time.” Pritzker has suggested Trump would benefit from losing some pounds himself. “It takes one to know one on the weight question,” Pritzker told reporters in August 2025.

When asked by the network whether the medication is preparation for a presidential run, Pritzker said he has not made any decisions about what he might do in the future. Pritzker is seeking a third term as Illinois governor in November.

Weight loss ahead of presidential bids has been a feature of past campaigns. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie underwent weight-reduction surgery in 2013 ahead of his 2016 Republican presidential bid. Former Secretary of State and CIA Director Mike Pompeo lost significant weight before deciding against a 2024 White House campaign.

Pritzker framed Illinois’s coverage of GLP-1 medications for state employees as a fiscal measure. “We’re going to save money because fewer people will have diabetes, people will be less overweight, which causes so many other diseases,” he said. Illinois covers GLP-1 medications for about 55,000 state employees, he said.

The Republican president and Democratic governor have also clashed over the size of their fortunes and over issues ranging from crime to immigration to democracy. Pritzker has questioned Trump’s mental acuity, suggesting the president has dementia. The history between Trump and the Pritzker family, a major Democratic Party force nationally, goes back to at least a 1990s Manhattan real-estate dispute that included the governor’s now-deceased uncle, Jay Pritzker.