Does House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries want the country to erupt into civil war? Does he want to see unhinged leftists (really, is there any other kind?) attacking random Trump supporters on the streets of America’s cities? Does he want to compel adherence to his views by means of fear, intimidation, and outright violence, rather than by the gentle persuasion of unanswerable arguments and undeniable results?
It sure looks that way. Jeffries stoked controversy on Friday when he called upon people to fight the “extreme MAGA Republican agenda” not just “legislatively” and “in the courts,” but “in the streets.” The Trump White House has demanded that Jeffries apologize, but it is unlikely that he will: how can he apologize for echoing a call that numerous leftists have made in recent years?
The New York Post reported Friday that Jeffries and Congressional Black Caucus Chair Yvette Clarke (D-Racial Division) were busy slamming Trump for his handling of the helicopter/plane collision when Jeffries was asked about New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who has been showing dangerous signs lately of not showing the unremitting hostility to Trump that the left requires.
Jeffries didn’t want to talk about Adams, so he said: "I'll have more to say about the future of the mayorship of the city of New York at the appropriate time." Everyone will be waiting eagerly for that, but in the meantime, Jeffries couldn’t resist expatiating on how leftists should be responding to this moment of deep crisis for their socialist internationalist agenda. Jeffries continued:
Right now, we're going to keep focused on the need to look out for everyday New Yorkers and everyday Americans who are under assault by an extreme MAGA Republican agenda that is trying to cut taxes for billionaires, donors, and wealthy corporations and then stick New Yorkers and working class Americans across the country with the bill. That's not acceptable. We are going to fight it legislatively. We are going to fight it in the courts. We're going to fight it in the streets.
The predictable indignation ensued. After all, this wasn’t some guy ranting on a barstool, or raving at passersby on a street corner. This was the minority leader of the House of Representatives, someone who is supposed to want to be invested in the safety and well-being of Americans, not issuing open calls for violence. And so White House deputy press secretary Kush Desai declared: “While President Trump remains focused on uniting our country and delivering the mandate set by the American people, the House Minority Leader, Hakeem Jeffries, incites violence calling for people to fight ‘in the streets’ against President Trump’s agenda. This unhinged violent rhetoric is dangerous. Leader Jeffries should immediately apologize.”
He didn’t. And why should he have done so? He was reflecting the views of a large number of leftists. Remember what Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Absolut) said back in 2018, during Trump’s first administration: "I just don't even know why there aren't uprisings all over the country. And maybe there will be.” Soon after that, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Get Trump) said this about Trump’s Cabinet members: “If you see anybody from that Cabinet in a restaurant, in a department store, at a gasoline station, you get out and you create a crowd and you push back on them! And you tell them that they are not welcome, anymore, anywhere.”
Then in June 2020, during the George Floyd riots, Kamala Harris, who had a great future ahead of her, said of the protests: “They’re not going to stop. This is a movement, I’m telling you. They’re not going to stop and everyone beware, because they’re not going to stop. They’re not going to stop before Election Day in November and they’re not going to stop after Election Day. Everyone should take note of that on both levels. They’re not going to let up and they should not and we should not.”
Related: The Left Never Learns: 'Constitutional Attorney' Is First to Call for Trump’s Impeachment (Again)
And so in response to the White House’s demand for an apology, Jeffries spokesperson Christie Stephenson was disdainful, saying: "The notion that Leader Jeffries supports violence is laughable. Republicans are the party that pardons violent felons who assault police officers. Democrats are the party of John Lewis and the right to petition the government peacefully."
Yeah, they petitioned the government very peacefully during the Inauguration Day riots of Jan. 20, 2017, and even more peacefully during the George Floyd riots of 2020. It’s very clear by now that violence is a key tool in the Democrats’ toolbox. Jeffries was calling upon leftists to use it. You didn’t expect them to allow Trump to revive the nation without pushback, did you?
