Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) urged House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) to ignore the AI-manipulated videos that President Trump has posted depicting Jeffries wearing a sombrero. Johnson dismissed the videos as a “sideshow” distracting from the urgent need to end the ongoing government shutdown.
During a press conference on Thursday, Johnson addressed Jeffries’ alarm over the videos, which digitally add a sombrero and mustache to his image. This appears to reference Republicans’ contested claims that Democrats support free health care for undocumented immigrants.
Jeffries condemned the videos as “racist,” challenging Trump to “say it to my face.” However, Johnson downplayed the controversy, saying, “These are games. These are sideshows. People are getting caught up in — in battles over social media memes. This is not a game. We’ve got to keep the government open for the people. I don’t know why this is so complicated.”
He added a direct message to Jeffries: “And to my friend Hakeem, who I was asked about: Man, just ignore it.”
Johnson also referenced California Governor Gavin Newsom (D), who posted a video portraying Johnson as a yellow cartoon minion from the “Despicable Me” franchise. “I mean, Gavin Newsom was trolling me last night. He painted me like a minion. He painted me yellow with big glasses and overalls. And I thought it was hilarious. You don’t respond to it. Don’t respond to it,” Johnson said. “Get to work, do the people’s business, and let’s get on with it.”
The Speaker faced criticism from Representative Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.) regarding the initial crude AI-generated video showing Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.). CNN’s Manu Raju posted footage of the exchange, where Johnson remarked that the video “wasn’t my style.”
Dean replied, “Not your style? It’s disgraceful. It’s bigoted. It’s racist. You should call it out.”
Meanwhile, Vice President Vance weighed in on Wednesday, describing the controversial video as humorous. “The president’s joking, and we’re having a good time,” Vance said. “You can negotiate in good faith while also poking a little bit of fun at some of the absurdities of the Democrats’ positions.”
Vance also suggested that if Jeffries assists in reopening the government, “the sombrero memes will stop.”
https://fox5sandiego.com/hill-politics/johnson-tells-jeffries-to-just-ignore-trumps-sombrero-memes-these-are-sideshows/
