Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, both Democrats, on Saturday criticized the Trump administration for allowing about 3,000 Americans returning from Europe to be stuck for hours inside the customs area at O'Hare International Airport on Saturday, violating federal recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that people practice “social distancing."

But Pritzker predicted Sunday would “be even worse” on NBC's “Meet the Press.” He said that the administration should have bolstered staffing at the receiving airports in anticipation of long lines. But instead, he said, passengers “were stuck in a small area, hundreds and hundreds of people, and that’s exactly what you don’t want in this pandemic.”

"If getting mad on Twitter is what it takes to get federal officials to act, I'm absolutely going to do that," Pritzker said in the Sunday press conference.

Directing her comments to Vice President Pence, who is leading a federal task force on the coronavirus, Lightfoot said officials need to coordinate with governors and mayors to ensure safety. When they don’t listen to local officials, Lightfoot warned, “You risk causing serious illness and death.”

President Donald Trump defended the administration's actions in a tweet Sunday.