Hakeem Jeffries attacks Trump over racist post and says Dems will resist election federalization

WASHINGTON, DC: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said on Sunday, February 8, that a handful of congressional Republicans “finally showed some backbone” by denouncing a racist video President Donald Trump had shared online depicting former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as apes.

Speaking on CNN’s 'State of the Union', Jeffries called the video “disgusting” and said that the backlash it sparked across the political spectrum was warranted.

“The president was rightly and appropriately and forcefully denounced by people all across the country, Democrats, and even a handful of Republicans,” Jeffries said, adding that Trump’s behavior reflected “malignant, bottom-feeder-like conduct.”

White House removes controversial Trump video

The video, posted Thursday evening on Trump’s Truth Social account, portrayed Trump as a lion while Democratic leaders appeared as various animals bowing before him.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt initially dismissed the criticism as “fake outrage,” urging reporters to focus on other issues.

But after lawmakers from both parties condemned the imagery, the video was removed. A White House official later said that a staffer had “erroneously” posted it.

Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he had only viewed part of the video before passing it along and said that he was unaware of the racist imagery involving the Obamas. While condemning that portion, the president refused to apologize.

“Nobody knew that that was at the end,” Trump said, describing the clip as a parody inspired by 'The Lion King'.

Hakeem Jeffries warns against Trump's election proposal

During the same interview on Sunday, Jeffries also vowed that Democrats would block Trump’s proposal to “nationalize” elections, calling it an attempt to undermine democracy.

“What Donald Trump wants to do is try to nationalize the election, translation, steal it,” Jeffries said. “And we’re not going to let it happen.”

Trump has repeatedly suggested transferring control of elections from certain states to the federal government, arguing that some jurisdictions cannot conduct elections fairly.

Trump targets Democratic cities for election corruption 

In recent remarks, Trump singled out Democratic-led cities including Detroit, Philadelphia and Atlanta, alleging widespread election corruption without evidence.

“If a state can’t run an election, I think the people behind me should do something about it,” Trump said in the Oval Office earlier this week, flanked by Republican lawmakers. “The federal government should get involved.”

The Constitution gives states primary authority over elections, though Congress retains limited power to alter election rules, an issue that has drawn bipartisan concern on Capitol Hill.

With Trump doubling down on both his rhetoric and proposals, Democrats say the latest controversies are seen as a broader threat to democratic norms.