WASHINGTON, D.C. — Wyoming’s congressional delegation declined to weigh in Wednesday on memes posted by President Donald Trump that mock top Democrats and use vulgarities such as “woke trans bullshit.”
Both memes — one posted on social media Monday and the other Tuesday — feature House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York with a fake sombrero and handlebar mustache.
The first meme, set to Mariachi music, also includes Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York with a deepfake voice that uses vulgarities to disparage his own party members as “woke pieces of shit.”
That meme stems from video of Jeffries and Schumer when they addressed reporters after meeting with Trump at the White House on Monday for talks on avoiding the government shutdown.
“And if we give all these illegal aliens free health care, we might be able to get them on our side so they can vote for us,” the fake Schumer voice tells reporters.
Some Republicans say Democrats want to give illegal immigrants free health care as a condition of voting to end the shutdown, which began Wednesday — a claim that Democrats vigorously deny.
‘Dumb, Childish’
Trump posted the meme just hours after the meeting at the White House, prompting Schumer and other Democrats to say Trump does not take the shutdown seriously.
“His video was dumb; it was childish; it was petty,” Schumer told reporters Tuesday. “It’s something that a 5-year-old would do, not a president of the United States, but it shows how unserious they are. They don’t give a damn about the harm they will cause with their shutdown.”
Jeffries and some news sites — including USA Today, CNN and The Independent — used the term “racist” to describe the first meme. When Jeffries appeared on MSNBC to denounce it, Trump doubled down, using a clip of that interview with Lawrence O’Donnell for the second meme.
Just as Jeffries finishes telling O’Donnell, “It’s a disgusting video, and we’re going to continue to make clear: bigotry will get you nowhere,” Trump pops up in the altered clip as a four-piece Mariachi band, and Jeffries was adorned with the fake sombrero and mustache again.
“We are fighting to protect the health care of the American people in the face of an unprecedented Republican assault,” Jeffries continues in the rest of the clip as the four Trump images play musical instruments.
‘Say It To My Face’
USA Today quoted Jeffries as saying Tuesday: ”Mr. President, the next time you have something to say about me, don't cop out to a racist and fake AI video. When I'm back in the Oval Office, say it to my face.”
Vice President J.D. Vance dismissed the criticism at a White House news conference Wednesday.
“Oh, I think it’s funny,” Vance said. “The president’s joking. And 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 some fun at the absurdities of the Democrats themselves.
“I’ll tell Hakeem Jeffries right now — I’ll make this solemn promise to you … If you help us reopen the government, the sombrero memes will stop.”
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson also dismissed the criticism, telling USA Today: "Anyone who’s feigning outrage over a perfect meme should instead focus on the countless Americans who will suffer as a result of the Democrat shutdown."
The White House doubled down on the messaging Wednesday playing one of the memes on constant loop in the briefing room.
Lummis Focused On Ending Shutdown
Cowboy State Daily sought comment from Wyoming’s Republican trio in Congress: U.S. Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis and U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman.
Spokeswomen for Barrasso and Hageman did not reply to requests for comment. Lummis spokesman Joe Jackson said: “Right now, Senator Lummis has one thing on her mind: reopening the government and ending the costly Schumer Shutdown.”
U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Washington, said on the Senate floor Wednesday: “If Republican leadership and President Trump actually cared about reopening the government, Trump would not be tweeting AI deepfakes and Mariachi music or bragging about how he can’t wait to use the shutdown as an excuse to inflict more pain on the American people.”
State Of Play
Tuesday night’s vote on the Republicans’ short-term measure to avoid a shutdown was 55-45 in favor but failed because a supermajority of 60 was needed to advance it. Barrasso, though, noted three Democrats broke ranks.
“There are clearly cracks on their side of the aisle and movement towards our side. That will continue,” Barrasso said in Wednesday floor remarks. “All it takes to reopen the government is cooperation from just five more Senate Democrats.”
He vowed Republicans will bring up the bill for votes “again and again and again.” But in the first do-over vote — held Wednesday, moments after Barrasso’s remarks — the bill failed by the same margin as the night before, with no positions changed.
“Republicans tried to bully us and it’s clear they can’t,” Schumer of New York said Wednesday ahead of Wednesday’s do-over. “They don’t have the votes.”
Sean Barry can be reached at sean@cowboystatedaily.com.
