House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) responded to his meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday to discuss ways to keep the government from shutting down on Oct. 1.
In an appearance on MSNBC, left-wing host Lawrence O’Donnell opened the segment by mentioning an AI video of Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who was also at the White House meeting, posted to Trump’s social media.
In it, Schumer is seen talking to reporters with Jeffries standing beside him in a sombrero and Mexican-style handlebar mustache, as mariachi music plays in the background.
O’Donnell kicked off the segment by criticizing the video and vowing not to show it before accusing Trump of lying about what transpired at the White House meeting, which also included Vice President JD Vance, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.).
“Could you give us your reaction to that Trump-posted video tonight?” O’Donnell asked.
“It’s a disgusting video. And we’re going to continue to make clear that bigotry will get you nowhere. We are fighting to protect the health care of the American people in the face of an unprecedented Republican assault on all the things, Medicaid, Medicare, the Affordable Care Act,” Jeffries said.
“Republicans are closing our hospitals, nursing homes and community-based health clinics, and have effectively shut down medical research in the United States of America,” he falsely claimed.
(Warning: Strong language):
“Clearly, Donald Trump and Republicans know that they have a very weak position because they are hurting everyday Americans while continuing to reward their billionaire donors, just like they did in that One Big Ugly Bill with massive tax breaks,” he said, though the law actually made permanent tax breaks for more than 87 percent of working Americans, something every Democrat opposed.
“Democrats are united in the House and the Senate, and the point that we’ve made will continue to be clear. We are fighting to lower the high cost of health care, prevent these dramatically increased premiums, co-pays and deductibles that will take place in a matter of days unless Republicans are willing to act in terms of renewing the Affordable Care Act tax credits,” he said.
After “Obamacare” was passed during then-President Obama’s first term, Democrats hailed it as a measure that would finally “fix” the country’s healthcare system. But more than 15 years later, they continue to claim that healthcare is “broken.”
Also, Jeffries’ party, in opposing the GOP’s continuing resolution, will actually be responsible for increased co-pays and deductibles.
Meanwhile, Vance said after the White House meeting, “I think we’re headed into a shutdown because the Democrats won’t do the right thing. I hope they change their mind.”
“If you look at the original they did with this negotiation, it was a $1.5 trillion spending package, basically saying the American people want to give massive amounts of money, hundreds of billions of dollars to illegal aliens for their health care, while Americans are struggling to pay their health care bills,” Vance said. “That was their initial foray into this negotiation. We thought it was absurd.”
Congress faces a deadline of midnight on Oct. 1 to approve a short-term funding measure, known as a continuing resolution, to avoid a partial government shutdown. The House has already passed an extension, but the bill stalled in the Senate earlier this month.
