Vice President JD Vance said Wednesday that President Donald Trump’s sombrero memes of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) will stop when Democrats fund the government.
Trump has posted multiple memes of Jeffries on social media in recent days, with the edited video depicting the minority leader sporting a sombrero. Trump and Republicans have been highly critical of Democratic demands to fund the government, which Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) confirmed Tuesday includes plans for healthcare for illegal immigrants. Funding expired on Wednesday morning despite efforts from House Republicans to move through a clean continuing resolution. However, Senate Democrats ultimately thwarted the stopgap funding measure.
When asked about the memes at Wednesday’s White House press briefing, during which Breitbart News Washington Bureau Chief Matthew Boyle was in the new media seat, Vance said the memes would continue until Democrats reopen the government.
“Is it helpful to post pictures of leader Jeffries and his sombrero if you’re trying to have good faith talks with him,” the reporter asked.
“Oh, I think it’s funny,” Vance responded. “The President’s joking, and we’re having a good time. 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 the solemn promise to you that if you help us reopen the government, the Sombrero memes will stop,” he added, drawing laughs in the briefing room.
Trump’s first post came on Monday night, after Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) visited the White House for talks on funding the government. The artificial intelligence (AI)-heavy meme poked fun at Schumer and Jeffries’ press conference outside the West Wing after the meeting by entirely editing Schumer’s words and putting a cartoonish mustache and sombrero on Jeffries.
Trump followed up with another AI post on Tuesday, which edited an interview between Jeffries and MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell regarding Monday’s post. The video shows four AI-produced Trumps playing in a mariachi band as a sombrero and mustache come into frame and land on Jeffries’s face.
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