Tipsheet

Hakeem Jeffries Sure Waited Long Enough to Say He Supports Chuck Schumer

Rebecca Downs
Rebecca Downs  |  March 19, 2025 2:15 PM

As Townhall has been covering extensively, Democrats were in disarray last week after Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) caved when it comes to invoking cloture with the continuing resolution (CR). He, along with a handful of Senate Democrats, voted to advance the bill, and it passed the chamber on Friday night. Also on Friday, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) held a disastrous press briefing in which he punted on multiple questions, including those to do with his support for Schumer. Now, Jeffries has finally come along on supporting the fellow New York Democrat.

During a Tuesday event in Brooklyn, the borough where Jeffries' district is located and where Schumer is from, Jeffries was asked and affirmed his support for Schumer remaining the Senate Democratic leader. 

The reporter had asked something of a long question, bringing up Schumer's votes and activity, with Jeffries nodding along. He finally asked the minority leader, "Is it right, is it wrong, and do you support his leadership of the Senate?" 

"Yes," Jeffries quickly answered, prompting the reporter to ask for a follow-up. "Yes, I do," he said about Schumer, seemingly without expressing any reservation or hesitation. He did indicate he was looking to move on quickly, as he gestured he was calling on another reporter.

That response is even more noteworthy, given the stark contrast from just a few days before. Jeffries had been asked effectively the same question last Friday, during which he punted by merely responding, "Next question." 

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House Democrats had whipped their members against voting for the CR, which passed the chamber last Tuesday night. Rep. Jared Golden of Maine was the only Democrat to vote in favor of it, while Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky voted against it. Otherwise, it was a straight party-line vote, and Republicans only lost one member, as Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) predicted they would. 

Just because Jeffries has come around, though, doesn't mean that Schumer is in the clear from other Democrats. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), a member of the far-left Squad, has been quite open about her issues with Schumer caving on advancing the CR. There's even been chatter that she may primary him in 2028, the same year she could perhaps run for president. 

Schumer's fellow Democratic senators, including the vulnerable Jon Ossoff of Georgia and Kirsten Gillibrand, a fellow New Yorker, wouldn't even speak to whether they'd support Schumer in a hypothetical primary.

Schumer himself had a memorable Tuesday with his appearance on "The View," during which he thoroughly mocked and attacked Americans who wanted to keep more of their hard-earned money, rather than turn it over to the government. He was supposed to begin his book tour on Monday, though he postponed that over "security concerns," as his fellow Democrats are still angry over the CR cloture vote.

Sitting in the new media spot for the White House press briefing on Wednesday, Katie asked Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt about that appearance from Schumer and such mockery and what it means for the Trump tax cuts. "What is the president's response to this, given his upcoming tax agenda and need to work on Capitol Hill?"

"Well, we certainly hope that Democrats, all of a sudden, are for more money in the pockets of the American public. The president has made it incredibly clear that he is committed to tax cuts. He is committed to passing a big reconciliation package later this year ending no taxes on tips, taxes on overtime, no taxes on Social Security for our hardworking seniors, and we encourage everybody on Capitol Hill to support that when it comes to the finish line, especially Democrats, who clearly need a boost from the American public right now," Leavitt responded. "Their approvals are at an all-time record low," she also reminded, as multiple polls this year, including just this week, have shown.