Overview

• President Trump posted AI-edited clips depicting Hakeem Jeffries in a sombrero and mustache with mariachi music and fabricated audio attributed to Chuck Schumer.
• White House staff replayed the Jeffries video on briefing-room screens as Vice President JD Vance defended the posts as a joke and offered to halt them if Democrats help pass funding.
• Jeffries condemned the videos as racist and urged Trump to deliver any criticisms face to face, while Schumer said the stunt shows the administration is not negotiating seriously.
• The exchange unfolded on the first day of the federal shutdown, with negotiations stalled and Republicans still requiring Democratic votes in the Senate to advance a funding plan.
• Republican messaging linked the fight to claims about healthcare for undocumented immigrants, a characterization disputed by Democrats and challenged in news reports.