Illinois Governor JB Pritzker is facing widespread criticism and mockery online following the release of a social media video intended to showcase his "swagger." The black-and-white clip, which garnered over 1 million views, features the governor making a series of stylized expressions at the camera, accompanied by the caption "when you’re in an aura-farming contest and your opponent in JB." Aura-farming is slang for taking actions with the specific intent of accumulating swag or projecting a certain image.
Critics, including political commentators and social media users, were quick to condemn the video. Kaelan Dorr, a White House deputy assistant, responded on X by stating, "Only thing bigger than the ratio this tweet is getting is…well." Conservative commentator Matt Walsh commented on Pritzker's appearance, describing him as "kind of a medical marvel" for appearing both "gaunt and frail from Ozempic and also still morbidly obese at the exact same time."
Pritzker himself posted the phrase "governor-maxxing" alongside the video, a term derived from online slang where "maxxing" signifies optimizing an activity, such as "looks-maxxing" for attractiveness. This phrasing was also used by critics to satirize the governor. Brian Costin, a staffer at an Illinois-based advocacy group, humorously accused Pritzker of "property-tax-maxxing," "state-and-local-tax-burden-maxxing," and "blaming-everyone-else-maxxing," among other policy-related criticisms. Others focused on his physique, suggesting he was "buffet-maxxing" or "waistline-maxxing."
Fox Business anchor David Asman remarked, "When you’re a grown nepo-kid and believe you’re as impressive as the people you’re paying say you are," referencing Pritzker's family background, which includes co-founding the Hyatt hotel chain. RealClearPolitics president Tom Bevan called the video, "Might be the cringiest thing he's ever posted, and that is saying a lot."
Pritzker has a history of social media posts that have drawn public attention and criticism. His office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.