Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, who is considered a potential presidential candidate for 2028, recently announced his plans to
pursue politically motivated prosecutions against Trump officials—a strategy he has dubbed “Project 2029.”
In an interview with the New York Times, Pritzker characterized this initiative as a “forward-looking framework” for Democrats
seeking to regain national power following the 2028 election. Having served as governor since 2019, he has often
clashed with the Trump administration on various issues, including immigration enforcement. Pritzker described Project 2029 as a necessary
response to the political lessons learned in recent years.
When asked to outline the agenda for Project 2029, Pritzker stated that he aims to restore the “rule
of law” by holding political opponents accountable, though he failed to explain any allegedly illegal behavior on the
part of Trump officials.
“I don’t think you can speak of it in shorthand, but we’ve got to restore the rule of
law, and that means holding people accountable who’ve broken the law,” he said without further explanation. “I’m talking
about the people in this administration who’ve broken the law and federal agents who’ve broken the law need
to be held accountable.”
Asked if that included criminal prosecutions, Pritzker responded: “Criminally prosecuted, civilly prosecuted. Whatever it is that we can
do.” He went on to say civil prosecutions could replace criminal complaints if no charges are warranted.
Democrats have been gathering ideas for months on how to respond to companies and individuals that have closely
aligned themselves with President Donald Trump’s political agenda. They have indicated that breaking up mergers and conducting committee
investigations will be key components of their efforts to counter the administration if they regain power.
Recently, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries from New York took to social media to highlight his latest addition
to that list.
“Brendan Carr is a corrupt political hack and fake chair of the FCC,” Jeffries said in a post
to X. “This guy (and the entities he promotes) will find himself on the wrong side of a
congressional investigation in short order.”
Jeffries’ comments were in response to a post from Carr, suggesting that the administration would more closely review
license renewals for broadcasters that promote “fake news.” This struggle over political alignment is not unique to Carr.
As the nation approaches the November midterm elections, comments on this issue have increased. This election presents a
critical opportunity for Democrats to challenge the Republican governing trifecta and push back more visibly against the Trump
administration. Even regaining control of just one chamber of Congress could enable Democrats to pursue their agenda of
retaliation, Fox News reported.
Democrats, including Sen. Ruben Gallego of Arizona, aim to hold companies accountable that received approval for mergers during
Trump’s administration.
“Once we take power, whoever the president is, we’re going to break up your companies,” Sen. Ruben Gallego,
D-Ariz., told Semafor.
“So, all the investment you did to create these mergers are going to be for naught. Your investors
are going to be pissed at you, and you’re likely going to end up getting fired as the
CEO because you wasted so much money and corrupted yourself in the process,” Gallego said.
During Trump’s administration, significant mergers included Paramount’s acquisition of Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion, Capital One’s purchase of
Discover for $35 billion, and Nippon Steel’s acquisition of U.S. Steel for $14.9 billion.
Sen. Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut, expressed similar views to Gallego in a post on X. “Paramount
should enjoy its growing news monopoly while they have it, because when Democrats win back power we are
going to break up these anti-democratic information conglomerates,” Murphy wrote. “All of them.”
Susan Rice, a former high-ranking official in the Biden and Obama administrations, recently stirred controversy by suggesting political
retribution during a Vox interview last month. She claimed that once Democrats regain control of Congress and the
White House, they would take action against certain companies.
