Pritzker’s swagger stunt backfires as critics roast viral video: ‘Cringiest thing he’s ever posted’

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker became the subject of widespread online ridicule Monday after posting a self-styled "aura-farming" video to social media, with critics across the political spectrum weighing in on everything from his appearance to his policy record.

The video, shot in black and white, showed Pritzker posing for the camera with a series of model-like expressions. A caption on the clip read "when you're in an aura-farming contest and your opponent is JB." The post, made on X, accumulated more than one million views. Pritzker added the phrase "governor-maxxing" alongside the video, playing on internet slang where "maxxing" denotes doing something in an optimized or extreme way.

The term "aura-farming," used as slang for actions meant to project confidence or swag, drew particular attention as critics questioned whether Pritzker had successfully achieved the effect he intended.

Among those mocking the governor was White House deputy assistant to the president Kaelan Dorr, who commented, "Only thing bigger than the ratio this tweet is getting is…well." Conservative commentator Matt Walsh was more pointed in his critique, writing, "Pritzker is kind of a medical marvel. He looks gaunt and frail from Ozempic and also still morbidly obese at the exact same time. He's taking the concept of 'skinny fat' to places never thought possible."

The mocking extended to Pritzker's political record. Brian Costin, a senior staffer at a right-of-center Illinois advocacy group, piled on by accusing Pritzker of "property-tax-maxxing," "state-and-local-tax-burden-maxxing," "cell-phone-tax-maxxing," "gas-tax-hike-maxxing," and "blaming-everyone-else-maxxing." Others on social media took shots at the governor's physique, claiming he was "buffet-maxxing" or "waistline-maxxing."

Tom Bevan, president of RealClearPolitics, summed up the reaction succinctly, posting, "Might be the cringiest thing he's ever posted, and that is saying a lot."

The video arrives against a backdrop of frequent social media sparring between Pritzker and President Donald Trump. Pritzker has previously drawn attention for online posts that critics described as awkward or ill-advised, and the Monday video continued that pattern.

Pritzker's office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.