‘No one from the Trump cartel is getting a pass’: Hakeem Jeffries responded to backlash over his meeting with Jared Kushner

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a post on the social media platform X on Monday that “no one from the Trump Cartel is getting a pass.” He shared a video after facing backlash for meeting with Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law.

The New York Times reported on Sunday that the two met privately ahead of November’s midterms. According to the report, they discussed common ground on issues like housing, immigration, and the high cost of living.

Jeffries stated that Kushner reached out to him first. He said he accepted the meeting so the pair could discuss affordability. His post also emphasized that House Democrats have pushed the Trump administration on issues including tariffs, the Affordable Care Act, and nutritional assistance.

Jeffries addresses accountability and draws mixed reactions

In the video, Jeffries said, “I shouldn’t have to say it, but I am. No one is going to get a pass.” He added, “We’re gonna follow the facts, apply the law, and be guided by the Constitution beginning on day one. And hold the crooks accountable.”

There have been mixed reactions on social media after word spread about the meeting between Jeffries and Kushner.

Co-host of Pod Save America and former Obama aide Tommy Vietor took to X on Sunday to criticize Kushner. “Jared Kushner has no actual government job he just uses his family connections to get money from gulf autocrats and fund corrupt deals,” Vietor said. Kushner has served as a foreign envoy for Trump, working on conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza, and Iran. 

Speaker Mike Johnson downplayed the meeting to Fox News’s Peter Doocy on The Sunday Briefing. “I don’t know what that’s about. I know Jared has interest in lots of other things going on,” Johnson said, according to The Hill. He added, “He’s not really directly involved in the admin, at least in the day-to-day in the White House.”

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani backed Jeffries at a Monday press conference when asked if he would support the representative as House Majority Leader if Democrats take back the House in November. “I continue to support Congressman Jeffries and his bid to become the leader,” Mamdani said.

Jeffries said that House Democrats have “delivered results” in battling corruption. “[Former Attorney General] Pam Bondi is gone. [Former Secretary of Homeland Security] Kristi Noem is gone, and we’re just getting started,” he stated. He has also spoken about how any Trump impeachment focus after midterms would depend on election results.

He concluded the video by discussing affordability. “People are drowning in this failed economy and are demanding action. We have a responsibility to deal with the fact that life is too expensive,” Jeffries said. “And that’s what we intend to do.”