Tensions are rising in Washington after House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) accused Vice President JD Vance of lying about a meeting with President Donald Trump and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) in the Oval Office. The accusation follows Vance’s account of the meeting during a Breitbart News policy event hosted by Washington Bureau Chief Matthew Boyle.
During the event, Vance described what he called a humorous and revealing moment. He claimed that during the meeting—held just before Democrats triggered a government shutdown—President Trump handed out “Trump 2028” MAGA hats to Jeffries and Schumer. According to Vance, Trump had a photographer on standby and jokingly suggested the Democrats might want to use the photos for their campaign ads. Vance recalled the exchange as a light-hearted moment that underscored how unprepared Democrats were to take responsibility for the ongoing healthcare crisis.
Jeffries, however, told a much different story during an appearance on Good Luck America. He called Vance a liar or “confused,” claiming the incident was a stunt by Trump to distract from serious policy talks about extending Obamacare tax credits. Jeffries said a “random person” brought in the Trump hats mid-meeting and accused Trump of trying to throw them off. Jeffries claimed Vance was “spooked” by the moment and said Trump implied Vance needed “more training.”
Jeffries went further, accusing the White House of trying to ambush him and Schumer with politically damaging photos. “They clearly had bad angles, and there was a lack of interest in Schumer and I engaging beyond pressing JD Vance about the Trump 2028 dynamic,” Jeffries said.
Meanwhile, Vance maintained his version of events and criticized the Democrat leadership for attempting to leverage a government shutdown to force healthcare demands that include benefits for illegal immigrants. He said Trump offered a compromise: reopen the government and then work together to fix the broken healthcare system. Democrats, Vance noted, refused and chose to shut it down instead.
The clash underscores the growing divide between the Trump administration and Democrat leaders, especially on issues like healthcare, immigration, and government spending. As partisan tensions mount, the episode reflects the political theater playing out behind closed doors, now spilling into the public arena.
