J.B. Pritzker, Governor of Illinois, faced a sharp on-air exchange when Bret Baier of Fox News challenged his statements about crime in Chicago. During a live interview, Pritzker asserted that Chicago’s murder rate “has been cut in half” and that the city was “not in the top 30” in terms of homicide rate. Baier, however, brought up a visual map of FBI or independent data showing Chicago recorded 573 homicides in 2024 — the highest total among major U.S. cities.
When Baier asked if Chicago had the highest murder rate among large cities, Pritzker maintained his claim despite the onscreen statistics placing Chicago above cities like New York, Los Angeles, Houston, and Dallas.

While Pritzker’s office has noted broader trends of declining violent crime—such as a reported 30 % decrease in homicides during the first half of 2025 compared to the prior year—confusion remains between raw homicide counts and per-capita homicide rates. Fact-checkers highlight that Chicago has indeed led in total murders for years, but not necessarily in the highest per-capita rate. 
Data from the Chicago Police Department show 573 murders in 2024, down about 8 % from 2023, but still the highest number of murders among U.S. cities.

Legal and ethics observers say the exchange underscores the importance of accuracy in public statements by officials. Misrepresenting crime statistics—even if unintentionally—can erode public trust and affect perceptions of public safety policy. Pritzker’s team later clarified that his comments were intended to refer to broader violent crime trends rather than raw homicide totals, but the moment amplified scrutiny of how metrics are communicated and used in political discourse.

Fat boy tried to lie to Brett Baier pic.twitter.com/zfgnMixWGv

— Karli Bonne’ 🇺🇸 (@KarluskaP) October 23, 2025