Kristi Noem blasts Pritzker’s influencer jab: ‘Spend energy defending people you’re responsible for’

BREAKING: DHS Secretary Kristi Noem SLAPS BACK at Governor JB Pritzker calling her a “LITTLE GIRL”@KristiNoem: “He keeps throwing out insults. I wish he would spend that energy defending the people he’s responsible for” pic.twitter.com/Kyww6EwYhS
— Jesse Watters (@JesseBWatters) October 8, 2025
WASHINGTON, DC: Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem blasted Illinois Governor JB Pritzker for telling her to stop "cosplaying a social media influencer" and "dressing up as a law enforcement officer."
Noem's response came during an interview with Fox News' Jesse Watters on Tuesday, October 7, when the host asked for her reaction to the governor's comment about her.
Kristi Noem blasts JB Pritzker for insulting law enforcement officers
Jesse Watters asked Kristi Noem on Tuesday, "You just heard the Governor call you a little girl playing dress-up. What do you say to that?"
"He keeps throwing out insults. I wish he would spend that energy defending the people he’s responsible for," Noem said.
She added, "That is not shocking to me about these leftist politicians, just how they ignore the people who elected them, jeopardise safety, and continue to insult our law enforcement officers."
I asked DHS Secretary Kristi Noem what her message is to failing Governor JB Pritzker as law enforcement takes control of his cities overrun by left-wing violence:
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) October 4, 2025
"Grow up. Come live in some of these communities and neighborhoods being victimized by professional terrorists,… pic.twitter.com/IOTkCGa4qa
"One of the things I have been dealing with here all day in Portland is a bunch of pansies that are elected at the political office," Noem mentioned.
She concluded, "I am proud of our federal law enforcement officers. They are absolutely rockstars in the face of this kind of opposition and we are continue to give them the resources they need to get the bad guys off the street."
What did JB Pritzker say about Kristi Noem?
JB Pritzker on Sec. Kristi Noem: "She needs to get out. Grow up. She's the one cosplaying a social media influencer… She's in fact… causing problems. ICE officials are the ones causing the problems they are now asking for help to deal with."pic.twitter.com/Kpibt0knfL
— Thomas Sowell Quotes (@ThomasSowell) October 7, 2025
During an interview with WCPT 820's 'Chicago's Progressive Talk', which aired on Monday, the host asked Pritzker's reaction to Noem telling him to "grow up" and "come live in some of these communities and neighborhoods being victimized by professional terrorists, cartels, and organized crime."
The Illinois Governor replied, "Grow up? She's the one cosplaying a social media influencer who's dragging with her cameras to catch her every move. She's dressing up as a law enforcement officer and jumping in as if she's trained to do any of this. She's not, and she shouldn't be part of this ... She's, in fact, ginning it up, causing problems."
Texas National Guard troops arrive in Chicago
The Texas National Guard troops arrived in the Chicago area on Tuesday, marking an escalation of President Donald Trump’s crackdown on the city.
Chicago witnessed a surge in immigration enforcement in the past few weeks, along with increasingly violent altercations in the suburb of Broadview, where law enforcement has been filmed deploying tear gas and pepper gas against protestors.
CNN reports about 200 National Guard from Texas have now arrived in Illinois and are stationed at a military facility near Chicago.
— Paul A. Szypula 🇺🇸 (@Bubblebathgirl) October 7, 2025
DHS will now be properly protected as will the ICE facilities.
Democrats who promote violence will face legal justice.pic.twitter.com/6IYGbfiLE8
The deployment comes after April Perry, a US district judge, declined to immediately block troops from entering the city amid a pending lawsuit from the state of Illinois and the city of Chicago against the Trump administration’s actions.
Interestingly, Illinois officials have long condemned the Trump administration’s plans for a federal takeover.

Governor Pritzker earlier called on "all to stand up" to Trump in the face of the intervention during an interview with CBS News last month.
"Any kind of troops on the streets of an American city don’t belong unless there is an insurrection, unless there is truly an emergency," he said, adding, "I’m going to do everything I can to stop him from taking away people’s rights and from using the military to invade states."