House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries encouraged his fellow Democrats to attend President Donald Trump's joint speech to Congress on Tuesday, describing the speech, which, after conclusion, was “the most divisive” in American history.
Jeffries of DN.Y. said the president “didn't try to unite the country” or he never addressed “the serious economic challenges faced by everyday Americans.”
“Instead, President Trump has promoted the reckless Republican budget that sets the biggest cuts in Medicaid in our country's history. Democrats continue to fight hard to make life better for people.
Trump's speech, which lasted about an hour and 39 minutes, addressed a variety of topics, ranging from the administration's battle against the illegal immigration crisis to more moving moments when the president praised a special guest at the Chamber of Commerce.
House Dem leader Hakeem Jeffries says he will be attending Trump's speech. “A dignified democratic existence”
House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries, DN.Y., will listen as President Donald Trump speaks during his speech at a joint session of Congress on Tuesday. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)
In an interview after the speech, Jeffries accused Trump and his administration of “repeated” lying and making things about him.
“It's always about him, never about the American people. This is why the economy is crashing. Things aren't getting better. They're getting worse,” Jeffries said.
In his criticism, Jeffries focused heavily on assuring Americans that funds for Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare will not be cut unless fraud or abuse is detected, and ensuring Americans that the president and Republicans are explaining to be lying.
President Donald Trump concludes his remarks after declaring that “American momentum has returned.”
“They chase the Social Security benefits. I think that was obvious after this speech. And I know they are proposing the biggest Medicaid cuts in American history, hurting children, hurting families, hurting people with disabilities, shutting down hospitals, shutting down nursing homes.”
During his speech to a joint Congress session on Tuesday, President Trump touched on a variety of topics affecting Americans across the country. (Mandel Ngan/Pool via Reuters)
House speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) previously said Republicans are not talking about “in any way reducing profits” due to the program Jeffries is concerned about.
“What we're talking about is the efficiency of the program, the efficiency of making them better for those who receive those benefits and keeping them longer to maintain the program,” Johnson said.
Democratic leaders did not praise the president's speech despite the fact that there are moments in which everyone appears to be blessed, including pledging a 13-year-old cancer survivor as an honorary Secret Service agent and declaring a high school senior application to West Point.
Jason Hartley is standing after President Donald Trump announced in a speech at a joint session of Congress on Tuesday that senior high school students have been hospitalized at U.S. Military Academy West Point. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)
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Jeffries did not publicly comment on certain things other than concerns about potential cuts to government programs in his post-speak interview, but he criticised the “Republican agenda” multiple times.
“To bring this country back in the right direction is to fully understand the meaning of this highly divisive and extreme agenda that Americans are being unleashed by the American people,” Jeffries said in part.
