Donald Trump is 'intentionally trying to inflame' Los Angeles protests, Jeffries says
Democrats accuse Trump and MAGA Republicans of exploiting unrest for political gain as tensions rise in California.
House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said at a news conference in Washington that California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, and the mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass, deserve credit for “managing a fragile situation that Donald Trump and the extreme Maga Republicans are intentionally trying to inflame.”
Asked by a reporter if images of civil unrest would be a political problem for Democrats running in the 2026 midterms, “if they might be asked to defend some of these things”, Jeffries said, “No one is actually defending any unlawful behavior; I am defending the right for the American people to peacefully assemble”.
“We will not be lectured by Donald Trump and anyone in the Republican party about issues of law and order”, the New York Democrat added. “You know what he did… on day one? He pardoned hundreds of violent felons, criminals who brutally assaulted police officers and attacked the Capitol on January 6.”
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MAGA: “Quick! We need a distraction”!
My heart is heavy- is that alllll you have for us Hakeem? My heart is broken for the people in LA. Where is the strength of our party where is it