Aug 21, 2024 - Politics & Policy

"He just won't go away": Jeffries likens Trump to an "old boyfriend"

Andrew Solender

Hakeem Jeffries, wearing a dark blue suit and holding up his hands while standing in front of a blue and red backdrop. — House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries speaks at the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 21, 2024. Photo: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), in a speech to the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday, compared former President Trump to an "old boyfriend" who "just won't go away."

Why it matters: It was Jeffries' first speech to a Democratic convention as the House Democratic leader, and he used the opportunity to showcase his well-honed talent for mocking Republicans.

What he's saying: "Donald Trump is like an old boyfriend who you broke up with, but he just won't go away. He has spent the last four years spinning the block, trying to get back into a relationship with the American people," Jeffries said in his speech.

"Bro, we broke up with you for a reason," the Democratic leader continued, tearing into the former president's 2018 tax bill, his record on COVID-19 and his role in the Jan. 6 attack.
"Donald Trump can spin the block all he wants, but there's no reason for us to ever get back together. Been there, done that. We're not going back," he concluded.

Between the lines: Jeffries is known on Capitol Hill as one of House Democrats' most rhetorically gifted attack dogs, often side-stepping questions about Democratic unity by blasting his Republican adversaries.

He almost always employs the label "extreme MAGA Republicans" when discussing the GOP — a phrase he used in his speech on Wednesday.

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"He just won't go away": Jeffries likens Trump to an "old boyfriend"

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