House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) boldly declared last week that Republicans are “on the run,” a laughable assertion given the GOP’s iron grip on power—controlling the White House, Congress, and boasting a 6-3 conservative Supreme Court majority.
Speaking on a virtual call with DNC Chair Ken Martin, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), and other party leaders, Jeffries spun a fantasy of Democratic resurgence, even as his party flounders in disarray after a crushing election defeat.
With President Donald Trump set to lead for the next 46 months and Republicans holding the House and Senate until at least January 2027, Jeffries’ bravado rings hollow.
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“We have the Republicans on the run on three core issues,” he claimed, pointing to the economy, health care, and taxes.
He accused Trump of “crashing the economy in real time,” blasting the president’s recent congressional address as “one of the most divisive speeches in American history.” Jeffries crowed, “Costs aren’t going down, they are going up. Inflation is going up. You know what’s coming down? Donald Trump’s poll numbers,” ignoring that Trump’s policies—like tariffs—are just kicking in, not collapsing.
On health care, Jeffries painted Republicans as villains plotting “the largest cut to Medicaid in American history,” vowing Democrats would “keep the pressure on.”
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He framed the GOP as tax-break puppets for “billionaire donors like Elon Musk,” urging his party to “call out their extremism.” Yet, his optimism clashes with reality: Democrats are powerless legislatively, and Trump’s agenda is steaming ahead.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Party’s soul-searching reveals chaos, not momentum.
Strategist James Carville vented on CNN’s “The Situation Room” Tuesday, barely containing his rage over Trump’s tariffs and U.N. votes siding with Russia. “I’ve come to think maybe Donald Trump hates the United States,” Carville fumed, citing economic ties with Mexico and Canada that Trump’s policies allegedly threaten.
“Why is he doing this to Zelenskyy? … I can’t get it out of my mind that this man hates our country.”
His exasperation peaked over Mike Huckabee’s backyard chicken quip to offset egg prices—up nearly double since November 2023 due to bird flu. “I’m trying not to punch my computer,” Carville seethed.
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Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) echoed the hysteria, branding Trump “an enemy to the United States” on Sunday.
But their rants contrast with GOP confidence.
Missouri Rep. Mark Alford (R) shrugged off tariff cost hikes on CNN, arguing they’d shrink the national debt—a trade-off conservatives embrace. Trump’s promises of lower grocery prices may take time, but his base isn’t blinking.
Jeffries’ “on the run” rhetoric is a desperate pep talk for a party adrift.
With Republicans flexing unchecked power and Democrats relegated to shouting from the sidelines, the minority leader’s bluster sounds more like denial than strategy. As egg prices soar and Trump’s team digs in, the GOP isn’t running—they’re ruling.
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