House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) recently spoke at a progressive conference where he called on Democrats not only to defeat “MAGA extremists” electorally speaking, but to also “break their spirit.” This is one more comment concerning radical action against conservatives Jeffries has made in the last year. Jeffries’ tone and rhetoric has been condemned by many for adding to rising political division and tension in the United States.
The New York Democrat, who could potentially become the next House speaker should Democrats manage to take the majority in the upcoming midterm elections, went on to say that “part of how we as House Democrats view this moment, either MAGA extremists are going to break the country, or we’re going to break them, and our goal is to break them.”
Later during the panel discussion, Jeffries assured liberals, “As a guarantee, we are taking back control of the United States House of Representatives in November.” He then added, “We will defeat them. We have to beat them electorally, and then we have to break their spirit, because of the extremism that’s being unleashed on the American people, that’s completely and totally unacceptable.”
According to a report from Fox News, the comments were met with immediate backlash, especially from Republicans. A spokesperson for House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), Edgar Barrios, took to his private X account and responded to the comment saying, “Hakeem Jeffries says he wants to ‘BREAK the spirit’ of 77 million AMERICANS. This is how Democrats talk about people who don’t agree with them: violently.”
Christian Maxwell, a Republican congressional candidate from Illinois, also posted a response on X, writing, “Excuse me. Why is their rhetoric ALWAYS so disgustingly violent?” Minnesota state Rep. Walter Hudson, a Republican, said that Jeffries’ remarks are “further evidence that Democrats emanate a spirit of malevolence.”
“Here it is from the very top. Jeffries wants to ‘break them,’ meaning tens of millions of Americans. He wants to ‘break their spirit,’” Hudson said in his post. “That is not a benign policy goal. It’s a declaration of war.” Chairman of the Republican National Committee, Joe Gruters, reacted to Jeffries’ comments by saying, “The majority of Americans voted for President Trump in 2024 – Democrats want to break those who did.”
“Democrats are only interested in revenge, not serving the American people. We cannot let them win,” he continued. Rep. Mike Lee (R-UT) got on his X account and said, “Hakeem Jeffries wants to ‘break’ Trump voters,” adding, “He says ‘we have to defeat them electorally and then we have to break their spirit.’ What does that even mean?”
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Actor Nick Searcy, most well-known for his role in the hit FX series Justified, reacted to the comments, writing, “This is how communists talk. ‘WE WILL BREAK YOU!’ The good guys don’t say things like this. The super villains do.” Conservative pundit Mark Levin referred to Jeffries as “an absolute thug” and “totalitarian,” going on to add that he “wants to shred our republic.”
Featured Image: screenshot from embedded video