Amid efforts by the White House and Democrats to blame the other for the government shutdown, JD Vance defended one of his boss Donald Trump‘s tactics: Posting of deepfake videos made to look like House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries was wearing a sombrero in his TV appearances.
Less than four hours before the shutdown deadline at 12:01 a.m. ET on Wednesday, Trump posted a second video, this one featuring Jeffries in the attire and a mustache. The video featured multiple Trumps playing mariachi music to try to sound out Jeffries as he spoke on MSNBC.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer referred to an earlier video, also featuring Jeffries in a sombrero, as childish and evidence that the White House and the GOP were unserious about the shutdown. Jeffries called it “bigotry.”
At the briefing on Wednesday, one reporter asked Vance, “You have said that you are interested in good faith negotiations with these leaders, but what message does that send? Is it helpful to post pictures of Leader Jeffries in a sombrero if you are trying to have good faith talks with them?”
Vance responded, “I think it’s funny. The president is joking. We’re having a good time. You can negotiate in good faith while also poking a little bit of fun at some of the absurdities of the Democrats’ positions and even poking fun at the absurdity of the Democrats themselves. I’ll tell Hakeem Jeffries right now. I’ll make this solemn promise to you, that if you help us reopen the government, the sombrero memes will stop. And I talked to the president of the United States about that.”
Vance then criticized Jeffries for saying that the video was racist. “I honestly don’t know what that means. Is he a Mexican American that is offended by having a sombrero meme?”
Republicans in the Senate need Democratic votes to keep the government open, as it takes 60 votes to overcome a filibuster. Republicans control the Senate 53-47.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, meanwhile, chimed in with his own doctored meme of Vance.
