Jeffries calls on Trump to ‘put on costume and pretend to act like a president’

In the spirit of Halloween and the ongoing shutdown that is threatening the livelihoods of millions of Americans, U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries has a costume suggestion for President Donald Trump.

“You know, it’s Halloween. Donald Trump should put on a costume and pretend to act like a president at least on this day,” the Democratic leader in the U.S. House of Representatives told CNN, a day before SNAP funding expires on Saturday, Nov. 1.

A federal judge ordered the Trump administration on Friday to release emergency funds set aside by Congress, which would only partially fund SNAP. However, the administration has not indicated whether it will comply with the ruling or appeal it, leaving SNAP recipients in a state of uncertainty.

Earlier Friday on Air Force One, President Trump dismissed the urgency of providing emergency funds for SNAP because recipients are “largely Democrats.” A majority of SNAP recipients are white and live in rural towns in red districts, making up a significant share of Trump’s MAGA base.

“You’re talking about 42 million Americans, 16 million children, 8 million adults, older Americans and seniors, and more than a million veterans. And they’re in every single state in the country, of every single political persuasion,” Jeffries said of SNAP recipients.

For a month, Democrats have clashed with Trump and Republicans over the government shutdown, resulting from the two parties’ inability to reach a spending bill agreement. Democrats want to restore spending for Obamacare tax credits and Medicaid, while Republicans say it is a non-starter because Democrats want to provide health care for undocumented immigrants.

As theGrio previously reported, health care premiums for those insured under Obamacare, or the Affordable Care Act, will skyrocket in 2026 if Congress and the White House do not extend funding.

“Hospitals, nursing homes, and community-based health centers are closing because of Republican policies all throughout the country, and now they’re refusing to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits,” said Congressman Jeffries, who has withheld his personal salary amid the government shutdown, as thousands of federal employees remain furloughed or are working without pay.

The Democratic leader placed the blame squarely at the feet of Trump, who has exerted dominant control over his party.

“He should be functioning as the president of the United States of America. But, of course, he’s shown no interest in doing that. He just wants to be the president of his cult-like followers,” Jeffries argued.

“[He] is unwilling to actually be there for everyday Americans, working class Americans and middle class Americans, who, by the way, are every political persuasion.”