‘He’s Still Pissed!’: Trump Visibly Struggles to Recall Name of Black Lawmaker Who Embarrassed Him with Viral Clapback—But Many Say He’s Playing Dumb
President Donald Trump’s obsession with trolling his critics is backfiring yet again. After facing a brutal clapback from Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries over his racist AI post, Trump appeared at a White House press briefing and visibly struggled to recall Jeffries’ name. While repeating his false claim about lowering drug costs by 1,000 percent, Trump awkwardly dismissed the lawmaker who had just scorched him online. President Donald Trump listens to a question from a reporter after announcing a deal with Pfizer to lower Medicaid drug prices in the Oval Office of the White House on Sept. 30. The Trump administration has reportedly reached an agreement with pharmaceutical company Pfizer to voluntarily sell its medications through Medicaid at lower prices. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) “Even in the discussion ... Chuck Schumer was here yesterday along with ahhh ... a very nice gentleman who I didn’t really know. You know who I’m talking about,” Trump muttered. The strange stumble immediately raised eyebrows. Many weren’t buying the act, pointing out that Trump knew Jeffries well enough to target him just hours earlier with a racist AI video — depicting the New York congressman in a sombrero with a handlebar mustache. “Classic Trump. Dismissing a key Black leader like he’s some random guy at a rally. Jeffries isn’t just a name to forget, he’s a powerhouse holding the line for working families,” one person wrote. https://twitter.com/_oRyca_/status/1973066443076829541 Another piled on, “The Black guy. Yeah him. What an a—hole.” Others were even more direct, “He’s still pissed about the post.” ‘I’m Laughing So Hard!’: Newsom Makes Trump Regret Being So Fragile with One Brutal Post After He Veered Off-Script to Whine About Teleprompter Fail Trump’s stumble came as the U.S. federal government officially shut down at midnight Wednesday, the first since 2018 during Trump's first term. The impasse followed failed negotiations over health care funding, with Democrats demanding Republicans restore Medicaid cuts enacted over the summer and extend Affordable Care Act subsidies set to expire at year’s end. The lapse will furlough hundreds of thousands of workers, halt services like passport processing, and leave the nation’s 1.3 million active-duty military without pay. National parks, museums, and food inspections are grinding to a halt as federal operations go dark. Even with Americans bracing for the fallout, Trump turned his attention back to trolling. Late Tuesday night, he mocked Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer again by posting a behind-the-scenes photo of Oval Office negotiations, planting Trump 2028 hats in front of the two Democrats and others while mockingly pointing toward Jeffries. https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1973218687831384293 The stunt fell flat. Jeffries told CNN the hats “just randomly appeared on the desk” and weren’t offered as gifts despite rumors that emerged. Jeffries reportedly asked Vice President JD Vance what he thought of Trump running for a third term, his non-answer of “no comment” — only added to the awkwardness. Though the room reportedly erupted in laughter, according to The Daily Mail. Trump had already sparked outrage by sharing the racist AI deepfake of Jeffries and Schumer on Monday evening. The video, slammed as “beneath the dignity of the office,” drew calls for impeachment and was widely ridiculed online. https://twitter.com/franklinleonard/status/1972868938737631691 The video was described as "one of the most demented things" Trump has posted. Another added on Threads, "He should sue Trump for 200 million dollars, for defamation and lies Trump should be called out by republicans in congress for his childish behavior he is UNFIT 25 Amendment Now." Jeffries wasted no time in firing back. He resurfaced a photo of Trump grinning beside Jeffrey Epstein with the caption, “This is real.” The brutal counterpunch lit up X with reactions like “Finally,” “Brilliant!” and “It’s about damn time. Take the gloves off!” https://twitter.com/GoodTimes227/status/1973064391000994058 The following day Jeffries went even further, daring Trump to confront him directly, “The next time you have something to say about me, don’t cop out through a racist and fake AI video. When I’m back in the Oval Office, say it to my face.” Despite GOP efforts to frame Democrats as the responsible party for the shutdown, many observers pointed out that Republicans control the White House and both chambers of Congress. Still, the Trump administration doubled down on its narrative Wednesday, officially branding the stoppage as the “Democrat Shutdown.” On the White House website, the administration accused Democrats of engineering the crisis, declaring, “This shutdown is 100% on Democrats, whose radical agenda is poisoning our politics and punishing our people.” The statement went on to warn of ripple effects across the country, from lapses in food assistance for low-income women and children to suspended telehealth services for Medicare patients, all while insisting that Trump and Republicans “will not be held hostage” by what they called “shameful political gamesmanship.” Democrats, however, rejected that framing, with Schumer and Jeffries both emphasizing that restoring cuts to health care was a non-negotiable part of keeping the government open.
