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Meet J.B. Pritzker, the ‘actual billionaire’ who just dissed Trump at the DNC: the Illinois governor’s net worth comes from his family’s Hyatt fortune and his own private equity firm

STORYIshani Sarkar
J.B. Pritzker, governor of Illinois, during the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, US, on August 20. Photo: Bloomberg
J.B. Pritzker, governor of Illinois, during the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, US, on August 20. Photo: Bloomberg
Millionaires and billionaires

  • Pritzker is one of the heirs to the Hyatt hotels fortune and the co-founder of private equity firm Pritzker Group; Forbes estimates his net worth at about US$3.5 billion
  • He called out Donald Trump, former US president and current Republican nominee, at the Democratic National Convention, where Kamala Harris officially accepted the Democratic presidential nomination

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker was not “very demure, very mindful” when he boasted about his billionaire status at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago earlier this week.
“Donald Trump thinks that we should trust him on the economy because he claims to be very rich … but take it from an actual billionaire, Trump is rich in only one thing – stupidity,” the 59-year-old told the cheering audience on day two of the DNC.

Moments before him, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders advocated for higher taxes for America’s richest so that those in lower tax brackets could afford “to put food on the table to pay the rent and to get the healthcare they need”.

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But it’s Pritzker’s comments that are gaining traction, with former Representative Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, known for his scathing critiques of Trump, writing on X (formerly Twitter), “J.B. Pritzker’s comment about being a real billionaire was to an audience of one: Donald Trump. And I guarantee you Trump is currently going even more insane … He’s losing his mind. Perfect.” Kinzinger is one of several anti-Trump Republicans who are now endorsing Vice-President Kamala Harris.

So, who is J.B. Pritzker, and has Trump met his financial match in politics?

What is J.B. Pritzker’s background?

J.B. Pritzker departs the stage after speaking during the second day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on August 20, in Chicago, Illinois. Photo: AFP
J.B. Pritzker departs the stage after speaking during the second day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on August 20, in Chicago, Illinois. Photo: AFP

J.B. Pritzker was born on January 19, 1965, in Atherton, California. His parents are Donald and Sue Pritzker. He has two siblings: Penny and Anthony. He descends from Abram Nicholas Pritzker, a Ukrainian Jewish man who immigrated to Chicago and laid the foundation for the Pritzkers’ fortune. Donald died of a heart attack at 39 years old and his mother battled alcoholism before dying at 49.

Pritzker attended Washington’s Georgetown University before transferring to Duke University in North Carolina, from which he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in political science. Later, he moved back to Illinois and got his Juris Doctor from Northwestern University’s Pritzker School of Law.

He is married to Mary Kathryn Pritzker; the couple have two children together, daughter Theodora (Teddi) and son Donald (Don).

How did J.B. Pritzker get so rich?