July 04, 2025
Local News

Governor JB Pritzker answers President Trump's tweets with mention of Starved Rock State Park

Gov. Pritzker says Starved Rock is one of 5 'exciting places' to go in Illinois

Starved Rock State Park was one of five "exciting places to go" in Illinois that Gov. JB Pritzker tweeted in response to President Donald Trump's tweet Monday morning about the state.

Trump tweeted Monday morning: "Illinois has no place to go. Sad, isn't it? Vote Trump!"

Pritzker responded: While I'm surprised to see someone who slapped his name on a Chicago skyscraper say 'Illinois has no place to go,' I want to offer @realDonaldTrump five exciting places to go in the great state of Illinois."

No. 3 on Pritzker's list was Starved Rock.

Pritzker wrote: "Things don’t seem to be going your way so you may need to scream into a canyon, Starved Rock State Park has more than 13 miles of trail that are open all year long," also including a link to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources web site with more information about the La Salle County park.

Also included in Pritzker's rebuttal was getting a Chicago-style hot dog at Wieners Circle, taking the Amtrak from Union Station in Chicago to Alton, Quincy or Carbondale, visiting Abraham Lincoln's home in Springfield, and noted Illinois is the No. 1 pumpkin-producing state in the nation "if you’re not already spooked by the polls, pick one up for yourself and carve a jack-o’-lantern. I promise it’s a better time than sending ghoulish tweets."

Trump's morning tweets also included a tweet: "California is going to hell. Vote Trump!" and "New York has gone to hell. Vote Trump!" All three states have Democratic governors.

Derek Barichello

Derek Barichello

Derek Barichello is the news editor for The Times in Ottawa and NewsTribune in La Salle, part of Shaw Local News Network, covering La Salle, Bureau and Putnam counties. He covers local and breaking news in the areas of government, education, business and crime and courts, among others.