Hakeem Jeffries Takes Victory Lap After Noem and Bondi’s Ouster — Predicts Who Will Be Next

(Photo by Samuel Corum/Sipa USA)(Sipa via AP Images)

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) took a victory lap Thursday about the ouster of two members of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet — and predicted who would be next.

The second year of Trump’s second term has already seen remarkable turmoil, with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem pushed out of her position in March followed by Attorney General Pam Bondi earlier this month.

Jeffries was in New York City speaking at the National Action Network Convention, a civil rights organization. After he was introduced by Rev. Al Sharpton, he spoke about Noem and Bondi exiting the Cabinet as part of a discussion about Democrats’ hopes for the midterm elections and beyond.

Jeffries spoke about the transitions that both he and Sharpton had undergone in their careers, with Sharpton having “started out wearing track suits and now he’s rocking business suits, but over the years, while the outfit may have changed, the mission remains the same: no justice, no peace.” The congressman reminisced about his own career path to become the House Democratic Leader.

“For us in this challenging moment, it’s all about the power of imagination,” said Jeffries, “imagining how we can get from where we are, in challenging times to where we need to go, to make this country, in the midst of all the extremism, the best version of herself.”

“That’s what we have to do” in these “challenging times,” he said. “We have a hater in the White House. Haters in the Congress. And haters throughout the Cabinet — but we are working on this.”

Jeffries then took a victory lap regarding the turnover in Trump’s Cabinet.

“Watch, watch this,” he said. “Kristi Noem is gone. Pam Bondi is gone. And Pete Hegseth is next up.”

“Challenging times, haters all around us, but we’ve got to continue to press our case,” Jeffries continued, diving into an extended discussion of how “this president has failed the American people in so many different ways” and a defense of “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI) programs.

Jeffries then took several rhetorical swings at Hegseth again:

Diversity, equity and inclusion — we’re teaching the extremists something. These aren’t foreign values. These are American values, and when you attack diversity, equity and inclusion, you attack the United States of America. We have the high ground on this issue…

Here’s the other thing that we know: this effort, attacking DEI, it’s not a serious effort. It’s not about celebrating — that’s what they tell you, celebrating merit, that’s what they tell you — it’s not about celebrating merit, they are trying to elevate mediocrity…

Just look at who they put in charge of the attack on DEI. Pete Hegseth. The most unqualified Secretary of Defense in American history. You don’t have the standing to lecture anyone. This guy can’t organize a two-car funeral. He was a Fox News host and now he’s the Secretary of Defense. No wonder things are turning out so horrifically over in the Middle East. Pete Hegseth, leading the attack on diversity, equity and inclusion.

Watch the video above via X and the full speech at C-SPAN.

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