• ESPN host Stephen A. Smith expressed shock Thursday when Illinois Governor JB Pritzker claimed President Donald Trump plans to steal the 2026 midterm elections by having military forces confiscate ballot boxes.
• Pritzker made the explosive allegations during an appearance on Smith’s Straight Shooter SiriusXM show, arguing Trump is deploying federal agents to normalize military presence in Democratic cities ahead of next year’s elections.
• The Illinois Democrat suggested Trump would use troops to protect polling places and then seize ballots if Republicans face electoral losses, prompting Smith to directly challenge the governor’s theory.

NEW YORK (TDR) — Stephen A. Smith found himself in the rare position of playing skeptic Thursday when Illinois Governor JB Pritzker floated an alarming prediction about President Donald Trump‘s intentions for the 2026 midterm elections. During an interview on Smith’s Straight Shooter show on SiriusXM, the Democratic governor claimed Trump is positioning military forces in blue cities as preparation for seizing control of the electoral process.

Pritzker’s shocking election theory

The conversation turned controversial when Pritzker outlined what he described as Trump’s multi-phase strategy to interfere with the 2026 congressional elections. The billionaire governor argued that deploying federal agents to major cities serves a purpose beyond immigration enforcement or crime reduction.

“Here we are in 2025, he is becoming more unpopular. He is likely to lose the 2026 elections,” Pritzker said. “He’s sending troops into American cities and particularly in blue states, in blue cities, to put them on the ground, get us used to the idea of having military on the ground.”

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Pritzker then escalated his claims, suggesting Trump would use the military presence as justification to insert federal forces at polling locations. According to the governor, if Republicans lose congressional races, Trump would simply “seize the ballot boxes” to alter the results.

So you’re saying that the president of the United States is going to try to steal an election. Is that what you’re saying?

Smith’s incredulous response highlighted the gravity of Pritzker’s allegations. The ESPN personality, who has been increasingly active in political discourse, appeared taken aback by the Democratic governor’s frank assessment.

Reference to 2020 as precedent

Pritzker doubled down on his theory by invoking Trump’s actions following the 2020 presidential election. The governor insisted Trump’s past behavior proves he would attempt similar tactics in 2026.

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“Oh, this is a guy who tried to steal the election back in 2020, and he would do it again,” Pritzker responded. “Yeah, I think he’s proven that he’s willing to do that.”

The Illinois governor has been an outspoken critic of Trump’s deployment of federal agents to Chicago and other Democratic-led cities. Pritzker distinguished between the type of federal assistance he has requested — FBI, ATF and DEA agents targeting drug dealers and gang members — and the current deployment of ICE and CBP officers in military-style gear.

Context of Chicago deployment

During the interview, Smith also confronted Pritzker about Chicago’s persistent violent crime problems, telling the governor he has been “incredibly alarmed by hearing one thing after another about the violence in the city of Chicago.”

Pritzker explained that he has requested specific federal law enforcement assistance for years, but claimed Trump “never did offer any of that.” Instead, the governor alleged Trump has “repositioned people from those agencies to ICE and CBP when we actually need help on the streets with some of these other issues.”

The Democratic governor has consistently criticized Trump’s approach to urban crime, describing the deployment of federal agents in fatigues and military gear as an attempt to militarize American cities. He has argued that ICE and CBP officers marching through downtown Chicago sends a message meant to normalize troop presence on city streets.

Pritzker, who is rumored to be considering a 2028 presidential run, has positioned himself as a prominent voice in Democratic resistance to Trump administration policies. The governor vowed shortly after Trump’s 2024 victory that anyone targeting Illinois residents would have to “come through me.”

Are Democratic governors laying groundwork to contest 2026 results, or raising legitimate concerns about electoral integrity?

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