Jeffries rips GOP as ‘unfit’ for heckling Biden despite backing it against Trump
Ryan King
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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) denounced House Republicans who heckled President Joe Biden on Tuesday during his State of the Union address and insinuated they were unfit to serve, despite having condoned similar behavior in the past.
While bashing the “right-wing extremists” who interrupted the speech, Jeffries also lauded Biden’s performance in the House chamber and cheered on the agenda he laid out before the joint session of Congress and the nation at large.
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“President Biden delivered a compelling speech outlining a vision to make life better for everyday Americans,” Jeffries tweeted after the address. “And his dignity presented a stark contrast with the right-wing extremists who are unfit to serve.”
https://twitter.com/RepJeffries/status/1623164908345995264
However, in the past, Jeffries defended Democrats who protested during previous State of the Union addresses under then-President Donald Trump.
In 2018, Jeffries declined to applaud Trump when the then-president raised key achievements such as record-low unemployment rates at the time. Later, in 2020, Jeffries defended then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) tearing up of Trump’s speech during his address.
“As far as I’m concerned, the shredder wasn’t available, and so she did what she needed to do,” Jeffries said at the time.
https://twitter.com/MSNBC/status/1225117113603497986?s=20&t=6TSxA32RKBOi4MoYheHuxw
Outbursts during the address are not new. Some Democrats yelled “you” at Trump during his 2020 address in which he warned that some were trying to destroy healthcare. Jeffries has not condemned Democratic heckling.
Despite efforts to convey unity Tuesday night, Biden periodically waded into contentious issues, drawing outbursts from Republicans during his State of the Union address. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) reportedly huddled with his members prior to the speech and urged them to be on their best behavior during Biden’s address.
During Biden’s previous State of the Union address, Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and Lauren Boebert (R-CO) stood up at one point and shouted at the president.
At times, McCarthy, who sat behind Biden, was seen shushing his members. Biden’s remarks about guns, immigration, oil, and accusations that Republicans are vying to slash funding for Medicare and Social Security all drew jeers and retorts from various Republicans in the chamber. McCarthy has ruled out cuts to those programs.
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Biden occasionally fought back against the critics, insisting he had proof that Republicans planned to cut key entitlement programs. The president is set to appear in Wisconsin on Wednesday. Jeffries further argued that Democrats are “just getting started for the people.”
“More than 12 million jobs have been created during the first two years of the Biden Presidency. And we’re just getting started for the people,” Jeffries later tweeted.