SAINT PAUL, Minn. (KTTC) – Minnesota’s top elected official responded Thursday to a social media post made this week by President Donald Trump ahead of the federal government shutdown.
An AI-generated video shows House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-New York) with a fake mustache and wearing a sombrero. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) is also in the deepfake clip on Truth Social. It includes dubbed audio of Schumer making disparaging comments about Democrats.
The reference is to a Republican talking point on the shutdown that claims Democrats are “grinding America to a halt in order to give illegal immigrants free health care.”
Jeffries has called the post, which includes mariachi music, bigoted and racist.
“I’m not going to dwell on the president’s erratic behavior in terms of the meme or the AI deepfake videos,” Jeffries said. “The broader problem is it’s deeply unserious, and this is a serious moment. We need to reopen the government.”
Vice President JD Vance has supported the president’s online actions.
“Oh, I think it’s funny,” Vance said. “The president’s joking and we’re having a good time. You can negotiate in good faith while also poking a little bit of fun at some of the absurdities of the Democrats’ positions and even, you know, poking fun at the absurdity of the Democrats themselves.”
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the 2024 Democratic vice presidential candidate, said there’s nothing funny about the video or current situation.
“It is outrageous to me that we’re sending out memes, we’re laughing at people, we have people being furloughed, we have programs being cut, and these people are still receiving a paycheck,” said Walz.
When asked about the president’s post, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump likes to share memes and videos, calling it “quite refreshing that we have a president who is so open and honest directly.”
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