Illinois Democratic Governor JB Pritzker, who was labeled a “big fat slob” by President Donald Trump, revealed on Monday that he has lost 80 pounds thanks to a GLP-1 medication he started taking in the last two years. Pritzker said in an interview with CBS News’ David Begnaud that he began taking the GLP-1 after a Type 2 diabetes diagnosis. The governor’s weight loss has been evident in recent months as he continues to put himself in front of the media, taking shots at the Trump administration as he’s floated as a likely 2028 Democratic presidential candidate. “I’ve been overweight most of my life, really. Since I was probably 7 or 8 years old,” Pritzker said. The governor added that the stress of his job led him to put on even more weight, CBS News reported. Begnaud said the weight gain “forced [Pritzker] to put up with unwanted attention.” The outlet then played a clip of Trump from a campaign rally in March 2024, when Trump stated, “Pritzker, I don’t know, he’s too busy eating. He wants to eat all the time.” In November 2025, Trump again took a shot at Pritzker’s weight, while dishing on Illinois Democrats. “The mayor is incompetent and the governor is a big fat slob,” Trump said. When asked by Begnaud if his weight loss is part of a strategy to help his image ahead of a potential 2028 run, Pritzker replied, “I’ve been driven my whole life to lose weight. The fact that I am now able to do it because this GLP-1 became available is truly … it’s something that has meant a lot to me. I have not made any decisions about what I might do in the future. I can tell you I want to be the governor of the state of Illinois for a while longer, and I’m running for re-election.” The CBS News reporter then gave him another opportunity to say if he would run for president in 2028. “I’m going to give you an easy out: tell me you’re not running for president in 2028,” Begnaud said. Pritzker laughed and replied, “I honestly am focused on what’s best for the people of Illinois.” Pritzker is running for a third term as governor in November. Whether he’s taking GLP-1s for his political image or just for his health, Pritzker doesn’t seem self-conscious about his image anymore. In recent weeks, the Democrat posted a self-aggrandizing video to relate to Gen Z. “When you’re in an aura farming contest and your opponent is J.B.” the short clip stated. “Aura farming” is Gen Z speak for a person intentionally seeking out ways to make himself look confident and charismatic without making it look like the person is trying too hard. Pritzker captioned his video “Governor-maxxing.” Governor-maxxing. pic.twitter.com/KUZRJc9ANF — JB Pritzker (@JBPritzker) August 24, 2026 Pritzker has even joked about his weight loss in recent months, telling a crowd in Washington, D.C., “I’m JB Pritzker, governor of the great state of Illinois, and if you’re seeing me in person for the very first time, yes, I’m the guy who put ‘gov’ in ‘Wegovy.’” In his CBS News interview, Pritzker spoke to Begnaud alongside his wife, MK, as the three of them ate salads in the governor’s kitchen. When asked about Pritzker taking GLP-1s, MK said, “Well, I was very encouraging of it I have to say, and obviously I knew the history of his family. You know, it’s such a sad story, and of course, I want him to be around for a really long time.” Pritzker’s father, Donald, a co-founder and president of the Hyatt Corporation, died of a heart attack at the age of 39. “He was actually quite an active person even though he was overweight, so he was on a tennis court and had a heart attack and my mother was there. And he died in her arms,” Pritzker said.