House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) delivered a speech about President Donald Trump's first 100 days in office.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Good morning. Good morning. Thank you. Thank you, everyone. Good morning. Good morning. Thank you.
00:18Good morning. Good morning. Good morning. Right at the top, let me make one thing clear.
00:26The Trump administration has been a disaster. 100 years, 100 days in, Donald Trump and Elon Musk have failed to make your life more affordable.
00:43They failed to make you safer. They failed to make us more respected around the world.
00:51But their biggest failure is this. They have failed to appreciate the strength of the American people.
01:01During the dawn of the republic, it was once observed that when people fear the government, there is tyranny.
01:11When the government fears the people, there is liberty. Donald Trump and Republicans thought they could shock and awe us into submission.
01:23They thought we would be too complacent to stand up for liberty and justice for all.
01:31They thought we would walk away from the principle of equal protection under the law.
01:36They thought wrong. They thought wrong.
01:41They thought wrong. They thought wrong.
01:46Trump's unconstitutional assault on the American way of life is unprecedented.
01:51But the so-called dictator on day one is learning an important lesson.
01:56Americans don't bend the knee to bullies.
02:00In the face of tyranny, we join together.
02:09In the face of tyranny, we rise up together.
02:12In the face of tyranny, we get into some good trouble together.
02:16And we're just getting started.
02:18100 days in, Donald Trump has the lowest approval rating of any president in modern American history.
02:32100 days in, voters have elected Democrats in Republican-held districts all across the country, including in Iowa and Pennsylvania.
02:42100 days in, Elon Musk spent $25 million to buy a state Supreme Court seat in Wisconsin and lost by double digits.
02:59100 days in, more than 200 different lawsuits have been filed against the unconstitutional and unlawful executive orders of Donald Trump.
03:09And the American people are winning in court.
03:16100 days in, principled opposition to Republican extremism is taking shape from sea to shining sea.
03:28The American people are rising up and making it clear that the Trump administration has a lot to fear.
03:37Well, my oldest son, J.J., was nine years old.
03:43He played travel baseball with a group of his friends.
03:47Many of you know that travel sports can be taxing on the schedule.
03:54It's a labor of love for our children.
03:59During the season, it seems like almost every weekend, for several months, you're on the road.
04:04And so this one particular Memorial Day weekend, J.J. had a baseball tournament in a little town off the beaten path somewhere in the northeast.
04:15Travel sports can take you to some interesting places.
04:19I decided to make it a road trip and bring my youngest son, Joshua, with us.
04:24He was just six years old at the time.
04:26And so I said to him, he's going to come on this trip and it'll be like a vacation.
04:35What did I say that for, y'all?
04:40When I mentioned vacation, he had visions of Atlantis.
04:44So we pulled up to the motel where we were staying and the situation was a bit shaky.
04:57My six-year-old son looked at the motel, looked at me.
05:02Looked at the motel.
05:05Looked at me.
05:06And said, Dad, is this where we're staying?
05:12I said, yes, Joshua.
05:14Why do you ask?
05:16He responded, oh, my God, Dad.
05:19This is a debacle.
05:25Six years old, I looked at him and said, what does the word debacle mean?
05:30He responded quickly.
05:35He said, I don't know, Dad.
05:37It's something bad.
05:41This is the moment we are in right now in the United States of America with Donald Trump
05:47and the Republicans in charge.
05:49Crashing the economy is something bad.
05:53Destroying Medicaid as we know it is something bad.
05:56Taking a chainsaw to Social Security is something bad.
05:59Raising costs on hard-working American taxpayers is something bad.
06:04Firing federal workers, including thousands of veterans who serve this country is something bad.
06:10Canceling medical research for children with cancer is something bad.
06:15Destroying the retirement accounts of everyday Americans is something bad.
06:20Trying to whitewash the most painful parts of our history is something bad.
06:25Targeting law-abiding immigrant families is something bad.
06:29Undermining the rule of law is something bad.
06:33The first 100 days of the Trump administration have been a debacle.
06:44Enough.
06:46Enough.
06:47America is better than this.
06:50When the new Congress began in January, Democrats were prepared to get to work in a bipartisan way.
06:59The Trump administration chose a different path.
07:02Far-right Republicans are tearing America apart.
07:07Targeting our democratic way of life.
07:10And tarnishing our reputation as the land of the free.
07:14It is wrong.
07:16It is wrong.
07:16And we will continue to push back aggressively.
07:20Donald Trump and the Republicans in Congress have given us 100 days of chaos.
07:26100 days of cruelty.
07:28And 100 days of corrupt behavior.
07:32That is not constructive leadership.
07:36It's a recipe for disaster.
07:38The American people deserve common sense leadership.
07:42The American people deserve compassionate leadership.
07:45The American people deserve courageous leadership that changes things for the better.
07:52Our message to the American people is simple.
07:56We hear you.
07:57We see you.
07:58We feel you.
08:00Democrats are determined to make life better for you.
08:03Donald Trump and his sycophants spent yesterday bragging about the speed with which they've moved during these first 100 days.
08:22They're right.
08:24Never has a president failed so spectacularly.
08:27So often, so quickly, has Donald Trump.
08:35The White House referred to its strategy for the first 100 days as shock and awe.
08:43Well, they're half right.
08:45It is shocking how rapidly this administration collapsed into chaos, cruelty, and corruption.
08:51It's shocking how quickly MAGA Republicans turned their backs on working-class Americans.
08:58It is shocking how spineless Republicans have been in the United States Congress.
09:04And it is shocking and tragic and infuriating how much damage Donald Trump and the Republican Party's policies have already done.
09:14Here's the thing.
09:17They expected us to step back.
09:20But the American people are here to fight back.
09:30On the campaign trail, Donald Trump promised to end inflation.
09:37He promised to lower costs on day one.
09:41When he was asking for your vote, Donald Trump told you he would make life more affordable for everyday Americans.
09:51Now that he's in office, it's a different story.
09:55In March, President Trump was asked if he was worried that car prices would go up because of his tariffs.
10:03His reply, I couldn't care less.
10:11The cost of living in the United States is too high.
10:15America is too expensive.
10:17And Donald Trump couldn't care less.
10:20He couldn't care less that housing costs are too high.
10:23He couldn't care less that grocery costs are too high.
10:26He couldn't care less that child care costs are too high.
10:30He couldn't care less that health insurance costs are too high.
10:33He couldn't care less that utility costs are too high.
10:36Donald Trump couldn't care less.
10:39Prices everywhere are too high.
10:42And Donald Trump couldn't care less.
10:46100 days in, Donald Trump is making life harder for you and your family.
10:54And every day, his costly tariffs stay in place.
10:59Life in America gets more expensive.
11:02American families will pay thousands of dollars more per year.
11:08Small businesses are shutting down.
11:11Corporations are not hiring.
11:13Businesses are unable to invest because of the uncertainty that has been created.
11:20Inflation is on the rise.
11:22Life is getting more expensive.
11:24And the reckless economic policies of Donald Trump and House Republicans are driving us toward a recession.
11:32Republicans in Congress could put a stop to this insanity at any time.
11:38Since they won't, next November, we will.
11:42Yes, we will.
11:49Yes, we will.
11:52Which brings me to Elon Musk.
11:59I knew he would get that reaction.
12:06We all agree that government should be more efficient.
12:11But like most things in life, there's the American way, and then there's the cruel way.
12:18100 days in, it's clear that Doge is not the American way.
12:23Canceling medical research for children with cancer is cruel.
12:28Denying relief for communities reeling from natural disasters is cruel.
12:35Firing thousands of our veterans, like Joseph Quintanella of Virginia, who served this country in the Marines, is cruel.
12:43But their cruelty doesn't stop there.
12:47Republicans actually believe that Social Security is a Ponzi scheme.
12:54And they want to take a chainsaw to it.
12:57During the first 100 days of the Trump administration, Social Security has faced an unprecedented attack.
13:07Social Security offices have been closed.
13:09Wait times have dramatically increased.
13:13And people are being denied access to benefits that they have earned.
13:17Republicans continue to insist that Social Security is an entitlement program.
13:23They think they are entitled to destroy it.
13:27When I was 15 years old, I got my working papers and secured my first job.
13:37I was a messenger dropping off packages from office building to office building in midtown Manhattan.
13:43My salary was $3.35 per hour.
13:47That was the minimum wage back in the day.
13:50I remember that.
13:52And I thought that I had made it big.
13:56Particularly upon learning that as a high school student who worked part-time, I wouldn't have to pay any income tax.
14:05So I couldn't wait to get my first check.
14:08On a piece of paper, I multiplied $3.35 by the number of hours I expected to work during my first pay period.
14:22I figured out the total, and in my mind, that money was already spent.
14:28I couldn't wait to go to Albee Square Mall in downtown Brooklyn and get some new sneakers so I could dress like Run DMC.
14:42But then the check came.
14:52And some money was missing.
14:57I had two questions, y'all.
15:00Who is FICA?
15:01And why is he taking my money?
15:09Here's what I learned.
15:11All of us pay the FICA tax in connection with Social Security and Medicare.
15:18We pay the FICA tax on our first job.
15:22We pay the FICA tax on our last job.
15:25We pay the FICA tax on every single job we have throughout our lifetime.
15:30Social Security and Medicare are not entitlement programs.
15:34They are earned benefits.
15:39Earned benefits.
15:40You work hard for those benefits, pay into those benefits, and deserve those benefits.
15:50They are earned benefits.
15:52Democrats will make sure that Donald Trump and House Republicans keep their hands off your Social Security and your Medicare.
16:01Hands off today.
16:03Hands off tomorrow.
16:05Hands off this week.
16:07Hands off next week.
16:08Hands off this month.
16:10Hands off next month.
16:12Hands off this year.
16:14Hands off next year.
16:16Hands off Social Security and Medicare forever.
16:20Forever.
16:24Forever.
16:27Now, if this administration actually had some common sense.
16:32You're asking for a lot.
16:33It would look at the damage that it's done.
16:41The rejection from the people.
16:44The historic unpopularity of this president.
16:48And they would change course.
16:50But Donald Trump is doubling down.
16:53And instead of being a check and balance on this president's abuse of power, Republicans in Congress are nothing more than a rubber stamp for his extreme agenda.
17:05Recently, I met a woman named Mary Beth.
17:11She lives in Canton, North Carolina, a town of 4,400 people that is still rebuilding from Hurricane Helene.
17:23She has custody of her four grandchildren, ages 10, 12, 15, and 16.
17:32Their parents can no longer care for them due to addiction, domestic violence, and homelessness.
17:40The moment you talk to Mary Beth, you know that caring for those grandkids is everything.
17:47And she's doing it on a fixed income.
17:51Working part-time, making $8 an hour at a coin laundry.
17:57And is no longer employed.
18:03To supplement the disability support that she had received.
18:10Mary Beth has had, at times, to skip refilling her prescriptions.
18:17To make sure her grandkids don't have to skip any meals.
18:23Medicaid is the only reason her grandchildren are able to see a doctor.
18:29Including the youngest, who is dealing with ADHD and autism.
18:36Mary Beth works hard.
18:38Loves her family.
18:40And is a patriotic American.
18:41And Mary Beth is here with us today.
18:47And Mary Beth is here with us today.
18:47But her family, just like millions of others throughout America,
19:14is now at risk of losing their health care.
19:20Why?
19:21Republicans are trying to slash Medicaid by up to $880 billion.
19:27The largest health care cut in American history.
19:31And why are Republicans trying to rip health care away from working people,
19:38from Americans with disabilities, from children, from grandmothers like Mary Beth,
19:44so that they can give their billionaire donors like Elon Musk another tax cut?
19:49These health care cuts will hurt families, hurt women, hurt children, hurt veterans, hurt seniors, and hurt disabled Americans.
20:05Hospitals will close, nursing homes will shut down, and people will die.
20:14Here's the thing, in the United States of America, this is the wealthiest country in the history of the world.
20:22Health care is not a privilege.
20:25Health care is a right for every single American.
20:33For every single American.
20:37If we were in the majority right now, none of this would be happening.
20:42But even in the minority, we are going to do everything we can to protect the health care of the American people.
20:55And we'll keep reminding our Republican colleagues, especially the ones who vote like extremists,
21:04but then go home and pretend to be moderates when it's time to run for re-election,
21:10that the people are watching.
21:16It's time for Republicans in Congress to stop being a rubber stamp for Donald Trump's extreme agenda.
21:23You don't work for Donald Trump.
21:25You don't work for Elon Musk.
21:27You don't work for the far-right extremists.
21:30You work for the American people.
21:32As Democrats, we will fight as hard as we can, fight as hard as we can,
21:46over the next two years, to stop bad things from happening.
21:51We will protect our system of free and fair elections,
21:56and then work hard to convince the American people to entrust us with the majority next November.
22:05At that point, we will be able to do much, much more for you.
22:10We will build an affordable economy that works for everyday Americans.
22:15We will confront the climate crisis with the fierce urgency of now.
22:20We will block any budget that goes after your Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid.
22:27And we will hold the Trump administration accountable for its corrupt abuse of power.
22:33Over these next 100 days, House Democrats are going to lay out a blueprint for a better America.
22:47And you will see a vision for this country's future that isn't about Donald Trump.
22:53It's all about you.
22:58All about you.
23:01How can we make your life better?
23:04How can we put more money in your pocket?
23:07How can we lower your costs?
23:11How can we help you give your kids the future they deserve?
23:16These are the questions we are thinking about each and every day.
23:21Now, the American dream isn't about getting something for nothing.
23:25You have to work for it.
23:28But if you work hard and play by the rules,
23:31here's what you should be able to have.
23:34A good-paying job.
23:37An affordable home.
23:39High-quality health care.
23:42Education for your children.
23:43And the ability to retire with grace and with dignity.
23:49That's the American dream.
23:52That's the American dream.
23:54That's the American dream.
23:56And when we're back in charge, that's what we will fight hard to deliver for you.
24:07In January, late January, I had the opportunity to visit the Altadena community
24:13in Los Angeles County that was devastated by the wildfires.
24:20I met someone named Jackie Jacobs, an amazing 88-year-old woman who was raised in the Jim Crow South
24:30before moving to California.
24:34Her home was tragically burned to the ground.
24:38She and her husband, David, who had been married for more than 50 years,
24:44barely managed to escape the raging wildfires.
24:48All they had was the clothing on their backs.
24:53They lost everything.
24:56Photos gone.
24:57Possessions gone.
24:59Property gone.
25:01But the first thing Mrs. Jacobs said to us while touring the devastation
25:06was that she gave all glory and all praise, all honor to Almighty God.
25:14Just as the scripture teaches us.
25:18She believed that things would work out.
25:23Several of us teared up.
25:26Miss Jacobs lost everything, but she never lost her faith.
25:33She never lost her faith.
25:35Republicans have shown that their recipe for governing is chaos, cruelty, and corruption.
25:42These first 100 days have not been easy.
25:46Everything we care about is under assault.
25:49The economy is under assault.
25:52Health care is under assault.
25:53Social Security is under assault.
25:56Veterans are under assault.
25:59Farmers are under assault.
26:01The right to organize is under assault.
26:04Public schools are under assault.
26:07The American way of life is under assault.
26:10Democracy itself is under assault.
26:13Everything we care about is under assault.
26:18But just like Mrs. Jacobs, we must never lose faith.
26:22We must never lose faith.
26:25Faith in our community.
26:27Faith in our country.
26:29Faith in a brighter future.
26:31Faith in Almighty God.
26:32America is a resilient nation.
26:35We are resilient people.
26:37We have a resilient constitution.
26:39We will never give up.
26:40We will never give in.
26:41We will always show up.
26:43We will always speak up.
26:45We will always stand up.
26:46We will continue our march toward a more perfect union.
26:50We will not rest until we end this national nightmare
26:53and deliver in America with liberty and justice for all.
26:59God bless you.
27:00God bless our troops.
27:01May God continue to bless the United States of America.
27:05God bless you.
27:05God bless you.
27:06God bless you.
27:06God bless you.
27:06God bless you.
27:06God bless you.
27:06God bless you.
27:06God bless you.
27:06God bless you.
27:07God bless you.
27:07God bless you.
27:07God bless you.
27:07God bless you.
27:08God bless you.
27:08God bless you.
27:08God bless you.
27:08God bless you.
27:09God bless you.
27:09God bless you.
27:10God bless you.
27:10God bless you.
27:10God bless you.
27:11God bless you.
27:11God bless you.
27:12God bless you.
27:12God bless you.
27:12God bless you.
27:13God bless you.
27:14God bless you.
27:14God bless you.
27:14God bless you.
27:14God bless you.
27:15God bless you.
27:16God bless you.