CNN’s Wolf Blitzer Grills Hakeem Jeffries On Zohran Mamandi’s Allies Wanting to Primary Him
CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer spoke to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) on Wednesday and pressed him on reports that the Democratic Socialists of America, the party Zohran Mamdani is also backed by, wants to primary him.
A Jeffries aide told CNN earlier in the day that “Leader Hakeem Jeffries is focused on taking back the House from the MAGA extremists who just ripped health care away from millions of Americans.”
André Richardson, a Jeffries senior adviser, told CNN, “However, if Team Gentrification wants a primary fight, our response will be forceful and unrelenting. We will teach them and all of their incumbents a painful lesson on June 23, 2026.”
Blitzer spoke to Jeffries directly and asked, “Leader Jeffries, I also want to talk to you about Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for mayor in New York City. CNN has new reporting that some progressives who empowered Mamdani to victory now want to primary you and other Democrats in New York City. The co-chair of the New York City’s Democratic Socialists of America says he thinks you’re picking fights, quote, “with the left, instead of focusing on fighting the right,” his words. Asked whether Mamdani thinks those House incumbent challenges should happen, his press secretary told CNN he was declining to comment, at least for now. How do you respond?”
“I have no idea what these people are talking about. We are going to continue to focus our efforts as we did on the House floor in connection with Donald Trump’s one big, ugly bill on pushing back against the extremism that has been unleashed on the American people,” Jeffries replied, adding:
It’s clear to us as House Democrats, it’s clear to us as members of the New York City delegation, that the problem is Donald Trump and House Republicans who have launched this unprecedented assault on the American way of life and assault on healthcare. They’re ripping food out of the mouths of children, veterans, and seniors. They’re exploding the national debt. They’re unleashing masked agents on law-abiding immigrant communities. It shouldn’t be too difficult for some people to figure out who the problem is in the United States of America.
“The Democratic leader, the minority leader, Hakeem Jeffries, thanks, as usual, for joining us,” Blitzer said, wrapping the interview.
Watch the clip above via CNN.
