Vice President JD Vance promised Hakeem Jeffries that President Donald Trump’s memes aimed at the House minority leader will stop if he helps Republicans end the government shutdown.
Vance spent several minutes answering reporters’ questions during the White House press briefing Wednesday, the first day of the federal shutdown after Democrats in the U.S. Senate refused to back a continuing resolution to fund the government temporarily.
On Tuesday night, Trump posted a digitally altered video of a Jeffries’ MSNBC interview that included the minority leader wearing a sombrero as a mariachi band of Trumps serenaded the Brooklyn Democrat. Earlier, the president posted a video meme showing Jeffries in a sombrero alongside Schumer outside the White House.
Vance was asked about the memes’ message amid claims the GOP wants to negotiate federal funding in good faith.
“Oh, I think it’s funny. The president’s joking, and we’re having a good time,” Vance said. “You can negotiate in good faith while also poking a little bit of fun at some of the absurdities of the Democrats positions and even, you know, poking some fun at the absurdity of the Democrats themselves.
“I mean, I’ll tell Hakeem Jeffries right now, I make this solemn promise to you that if you help us reopen the government, the sombrero memes will stop. And I’ve talked to the president of the United States about that.”
Several minutes later, another reporter told Vance that Jeffries claimed the memes were racist.
“Hakeem Jeffries said it was racist, and I know that he said that. And I honestly don’t even know what that means. Like, is he a Mexican American that is offended by having a sombrero meme?” Vance asked.
“I saw one of the major TV stations put the meme up and then say, ‘This is AI generated,’ and he had like the curly animated mustache, too. … Do you really not realize the American people recognize that he did not actually come to the White House wearing a sombrero and a black, curly animation mustache.
“Like, give the country a little bit of credit? We’re all trying to do a very important job for the American people. The president of United States likes to have a little bit of fun when he’s doing it, and I think that’s OK.”
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