Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker’s attempt to celebrate “Star Wars Day” backfired online Saturday as photos of him and his wife dressed as a Jedi and a princess drew a wave of mocking and politically charged responses across social media.
Pritzker, a Democrat, posted the image on X around midday with the caption, “May the fourth be with you, Illinois.” While the post appeared intended as a lighthearted nod to the cultural holiday, it quickly became a lightning rod for criticism, much of it targeting his physical appearance and the state’s fiscal and immigration policies.
“You look more like Jabba the Hutt,” wrote one user. Another said, “Jedis are skinny,” while others referred to the governor as “Darth Fatter” and claimed, “This is not the Princess you are looking for.”
Several right-leaning accounts accused Pritzker of ignoring state issues, including debt, crime in Chicago, and the influx of undocumented immigrants, in favor of “dressing up for Twitter.”
Cultural gesture turns into political firestorm
Critics piled on from both meme accounts and political commentators. One user wrote, “If you were any Star Wars character you would be Jabba the Hutt,” while another said, “Jabba the Hutt wasn’t a Jedi.”
A parody account posted, “Anakin/Vader: kills younglings. JB Pritzker: Eats younglings.” Another popular reply read, “You look like May the 4th through the 12th.”
Mockery continued across the thread, with @captretiredfd writing, “What a fool. His state is so far in debt, Chicago is a crime ridden, illegal immigrant city and the toilet. Steve puts this crap on unbelievable.” Other users chimed in with comments like, “You should stop running Illinois into the ground,” and “Nobody likes you.”
One quipped, “In your physical condition, which is deplorable, you have absolutely no ability to produce a sword.”
Despite the responses, Pritzker did not delete the post or respond to the criticism. The photo, which showed the governor wearing Jedi robes and holding a lightsaber next to his wife dressed in white, has since amassed thousands of replies, reposts, and memes.
With growing engagement, even neutral and unrelated accounts joined in, joking, “She was also in Dodgeball,” and “You’re using the Force to push Illinois further into debt.”