He doesn’t have Nancy Pelosi’s power, but Hakeem Jeffries is going to do everything he can to ruin President Donald Trump’s big night — and use Elon Musk to do it.
Trump has been invited to speak to a joint session of Congress on March 4 — his first such address since being re-elected in November.
And as House minority leader, Jeffries is plotting with fellow Democrats to stuff the audience with those affected by Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, according to a news report.
Scoop: Inside Hakeem Jeffries’ plan to dampen Trump’s first big speech https://t.co/W3DDF3klba
— Axios (@axios) February 19, 2025
According to an article Wednesday by the inside-the-Beltway outlet Axios, Jeffries used a conference call with fellow Democrats on Wednesday to advise his party to bring guests to Trump’s speech “who have been hurt by DOGE or will be hurt by the budget congressional Republicans are proposing.”
The aim is clearly to distract Americans watching at home from the substance of Trump’s remarks by drumming up sympathy for federal employees being forced to justify their positions — and salaries — in the Trump administration.
Just as clearly, Jeffries is counting on a sympathetic, anti-Trump media to alert the television audience exactly who those Democratic guests are.
Will you watch Trump’s address to Congress?
(Some nameless face sitting next to some nameless back-bencher isn’t going to do much to Trump’s image without the establishment media’s cooperation.)
With Trump scoring polling approval among Americans early in his term, Democrats are forced to find openings where they can attack.
And the efforts by Musk and DOGE to weed out wasteful government spending are where they’ve decided to hit, according to Axios.
“Democrats are unusually unified around opposing DOGE and the GOP budget as their grassroots base pushes them to do everything within their power to push back,” Axios reported.
But if social media responses to the Axios report are any guide, Jeffries’ plan has some problems ahead of it:
Two impeachments, a home raid, countless indictments and lawfare, two attempted assasination attempts… but sure Hakeem Jeffries inviting people to sit next to him during Trumps speech is gonna be the thing that finally gets Trump off the rails 😂😵💫
— bedpost (@Cmin914725641) February 20, 2025
Political theater. Fake outrage and insincere concern. Everyone knows they’re all corrupt.
— Derek (@beckcpo) February 20, 2025
Those responses are pretty clearly from conservative users, but even apparent Democrats aren’t thrilled.
Dampen? Is that truly the best we can do to meet this dire moment? Dampen his evening with scowling faces in the audience?
— Henry A. Wallace (@HenryADubs) February 20, 2025
It will take more than Jeffries’ plans to tug at American heartstrings — with the assistance of a compliant media — to ruin Trump’s night.
And Democrats are surely pining for the days when Pelosi could use her position behind the president for a dramatic move like ripping his speech in two in front of a national audience.
But Jeffries is going to do what he can.
And what he can do is attack Trump and Musk, with the help of liberal American media outlets.
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