Trump's team tosses a dart at Pritzker over Great Lakes plan as tensions rise

The White House is conceding that a major project it has undertaken to keep an invasive fish out of the Great Lakes has stalled — and is pointing its finger squarely at an archenemy: Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker.Why it matters: The flare-up highlights how tensions between President Trump and Pritzker — a potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidate who regularly savages the administration — are boiling over.It comes days after Pritzker welcomed to Illinois dozens of Democratic legislators from Texas who fled the state to try to stop a Trump-backed redistricting push to create more GOP seats in Congress.Pritzker has called Trump a "cheater" over the remap effort, and accused him of trying to "steal" seats in the U.S. House, where Republicans have a slim majority heading into the 2026 midterms.Trump has called Pritzker "probably the worst" governor "in the country," and ripped him for opposing the president's hardline immigration measures.The backstory: Trump in May signed a memorandum offering his support for the Brandon Road Interbasin Project, a $1 billion effort involving Illinois, Michigan and the federal government that's aimed at preventing invasive Asian carp from entering the Great Lakes. Asian carp have been migrating northward toward the lakes, and would pose a danger to native fish populations and harm the region's recreational fishing, boating and tourism industries, officials say.Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer — another potential Democratic presidential contender — is an outspoken proponent of the project and lobbied Trump to support it.Whitmer has remained in close contact with Trump about the project, and met with him at the White House this week. Her team also has been coordinating with administration officials.But White House officials say they haven't received the same cooperation from Pritzker or his team. They say their calls to Pritzker haven't been returned.And they note that unlike Whitmer, Pritzker hasn't sat down with the president to discuss the project.What they're saying: A senior White House official tells Axios the project has "stalled" since Trump's May 9 memorandum."Gov. Whitmer has asked for support and showed an eagerness to engage on this critical project. Pritzker has not," said an administration source working closely with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on the project, which is overseeing construction. Funding, permitting and environmental issues have been central to the talks. "President Trump stands ready to get this project back on track, but the governor of Illinois is going to have to show some effort to get things moving again," the source added.The other side: Pritzker spokesperson Matt Hill vehemently denied that Pritzker has been MIA on the subject.Hill noted that Pritzker on July 24 hosted officials from Michigan and the Army Corps of Engineers at the Brandon Road Lock and Dam in Joliet, Ill., to discuss the project. Hill said attendees "shared positive updates on the progress we are making to protect the Great Lakes.""If Trump wants to try lying to play political blame games he can, but Illinois will focus on delivering results," Hill said. "If the White House needs an update on the project, we welcome their outreach but have not received any to date."A Whitmer spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.Bottom line: There's no reason to believe the tensions between Trump and Pritzker will die down anytime soon.Pritzker has begun taking steps toward a campaign to succeed Trump in the White House — including by visiting the early primary state of New Hampshire, giving national TV interviews and setting up a political action committee. He's aggressively defining himself as a fierce anti-Trump figure.When he recently announced his 2026 campaign for a third term as governor, Pritzker made a not-so-veiled jab at Trump: "Our story doesn't have a cult telling us what to believe, or sycophants telling us what to say, or a king telling us what to do."

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