At the time, the US government was on the closure crisis due to the budget crisis, so Donald Trump posted a racist video created with the help of artificial intelligence. The footage depicts House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries with a sombrero and mustache, and Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer is shown in a false voice.
Jeffries and Schumer arrived at the White House meeting with Trump hours before the expected government was shut down to discuss the implications of the impending financial crisis.
In the video, Schumer is said to advocate for “free healthcare” to undocumented immigrants as minority voters hate Democrats and could use these votes in the upcoming election.
Mariachi's music is played in the background, and the fake Schumer's voice states:
The false voice continues to repeatedly make false claims about democratic policies, calling liberal leaders “woke up.”
The video was posted to Trump's X account and his true society. CNN contacted the White House for comment.
Events and Reaction Timeline
After the video was released, Jeffries posted a statement to X:
“Partists don't take us anywhere. We end the cuts. We reduce our spending. We protect healthcare. We won't back down.”
A few minutes later, Schumer left a reply to X:
“If we think government closures are a joke, then we just have to make sure that we all know. We can't negotiate. All we can do is throw a knot.”
The White House meeting with Trump and two Democrat leaders also included Senate majority leader John Tune and House Speaker Mike Johnson. It ended without a transaction and government funds were set to expire late at night on Tuesday. Democratic leaders advocated health funding conditions as a prerequisite to keeping the government open.
In his remarks to a White House reporter, Schumer described Trump as the “ultimate” decision maker, saying:
In his post on social media, Trump expressed his position that Democrats should keep their government open and continue operating.
At the White House, Jeffries stressed the need to extend grants under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and Republicans pushed for a “clean” funding bill that the government could run during long-term negotiations. The subsidies are valid until the end of the year.
“As Republicans refuse to extend the ACA tax credits that support middle-class workers, more than 20 million Americans are on the brink of facing a sharp increase in premiums, out-of-pockets and deductions.
