The Trump Administration is demanding an apology from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries after he declared his intent to “fight the Trump agenda in the streets.”
Jeffries made the statement on Friday during a press briefing in his home state New York, where he joined other officials in condemning recent efforts by the Trump administration to halt federal funding.
Jeffries accused Republicans of waging war on everyday Americans, who he claimed were “under assault by an extreme MAGA Republican agenda,” which he argued is focused on slashing taxes for billionaires and major corporations while unfairly shifting the financial burden onto middle-class families.
“That’s not acceptable. We’re going to fight it legislatively, we are going to fight it in the courts, and we’re going to fight it in the streets,” Jeffries said defiantly.
The White House wasted no time firing back, describing Jeffries’ choice of words as a “sick call for violence.”
Officials released a statement questioning Jeffries’ intentions and asked, “Will Minority Leader Jeffries apologize for this disgusting threat? Or will he double down on the same calls for violence that have plagued the country for years?”
Christie Stephenson, Jeffries’ communications director, shot back at the White House’s claims in an official statement.
“The notion that Leader Jeffries supports violence is laughable,” she countered, highlighting a perceived hypocrisy.
According to her, “Republicans are the party that pardons violent felons who assault police officers. Democrats are the party of John Lewis and the right to petition the government peacefully.”
This fiery exchange unfolded as anger boiled over following a Democrat criticized directive from the Trump administration earlier in the week.
A memo attempting to temporarily suspend federal loans, grants, and assistance caused widespread confusion.
The freeze, while blocked by a federal judge earlier this week, left states and affected organizations scrambling for clarity.
Judge John McConnell, the U.S. District Judge who handled the injunction, struck down the freeze on Friday.
He referred to it as overly broad and ambiguous in its scope, ruling that immediate intervention was necessary to prevent potential harm.
“Are there some aspects of the pause that might be legal and appropriate constitutionally for the Executive to take?” McConnell wrote in his decision. “The Court imagines there are, but it is equally sure that there are many instances in the Executive Orders’ wide-ranging, all-encompassing, and ambiguous ‘pause’ of critical funding that are not.”
The temporary ruling, he added, was essential “as the Court must act in these early stages of the litigation under the ‘worst case scenario’ because the breadth and ambiguity of the Executive’s action makes it impossible to do otherwise.”
Back at his Friday press event, Jeffries referred to the funding freeze as an “unlawful Republican ripoff scheme to steal taxpayer dollars.”
He went on to applaud the efforts of state leaders, organizations, and citizens who “rose up in defiance” to challenge the temporary defunding notice in record time.
“We fought it, we stopped it, and we will never surrender,” Jeffries declared when asked about the Democratic commitment to countering controversial Republican decisions.
Initially issued by Trump’s budget office, the memo freezing federal aid was quietly rescinded less than two days later, presumably in response to the swift legal and political reactions.
During Friday’s event, reporters asked Jeffries which legislative battles he plans to prioritize as Minority Leader.
While reiterating the need for bipartisan collaboration, Jeffries underscored the party’s firm stance against “far-right extremism.”
He pointedly acknowledged tensions between ideological divides but stressed his overall mission to “make life better” for ordinary Americans.
Watch Jeffries’ full press conference here:
