While tossing back drinks during a bar crawl on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show,” Gov. JB Pritzker said he was “concerned” about President Joe Biden’s reelection prospects before Biden dropped out of the race last month.
“A lot of us were concerned about the direction of the election and whether Joe Biden was going to be able to be competitive because the polls weren’t looking good,” Pritzker said.
The moment of apparent candor came in an otherwise silly video in which the governor and correspondent Jordan Klepper hit a handful of Chicago bars, including Guthrie’s Tavern and Murphy’s Bleachers in Wrigleyville.
“The Daily Show” plans to broadcast from Chicago for the Democratic National Convention throughout the week.
Prompted by Klepper in the edited video, Pritzker said “there were governors talking” but insisted Democratic governors didn’t push Biden out of the race. In lighter moments on the crawl, Pritzker also took a Malort shot and said he came up with the “hashtag” #BallsToTheWalz to describe his support for vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
“I think he’s actually the perfect pick. You know, I immediately of course was coming up with hashtags –- you know, ‘Balls to the Walz,’” Pritzker told Klepper.
Pritzker was previously considered a contender to be Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate and has since thrown his full support behind the Harris-Walz ticket.
As he has before, Pritzker predicted an energetic convention. He reflected on former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s macarena dance at the 1996 convention as a moment in Chicago DNC history.
“Hillary Clinton was out there doing the macarena like nobody’s business,” Pritzker said, “so I actually think this is one of the great moments in her-story.”
Clinton was scheduled to speak at the Democratic convention in Chicago on Monday. Pritzker, the de facto local host, was expected to take the stage Tuesday.