President Donald Trump shared a racist, AI-generated video targeting House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on Monday. The video showed Jeffries with a sombrero and fake moustache, while Schumer spoke in a fake voice, spreading claims about Democrats and minority voters.
Vice President JD Vance warned Monday that the US is likely heading toward a government shutdown, calling Democrats “unreasonable” as Republicans look to pin the blame on their political rivals. President Donald Trump met with top Democrats and Republicans in a last-ditch effort to prevent a shutdown before the October 1 deadline, NBC reports.
Trump posts racist AI video mocking Jeffries and Schumer
The clip suggested Schumer supported “free healthcare” for undocumented immigrants to win votes, with the fake voice saying: “There’s no way to sugar coat it: Nobody likes Democrats anymore.” Trump posted the video on both X and Truth Social. The fake voice continued, repeating GOP claims about Democrats and mocking liberal leaders as “woke.”
Jeffries responded to the post: “Bigotry will get you nowhere. Cancel the Cuts. Lower the Cost. Save Healthcare. We are NOT backing down.” Schumer followed: “If you think your shutdown is a joke, it just proves what we all know: You can’t negotiate. You can only throw tantrums.” The fake voice continued, repeating misleading GOP claims about Democrats and mocking liberal leaders as “woke.”
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2025
Vance Blames Democrats for Impasse
“I think we’re headed into a shutdown because the Democrats won’t do the right thing,” Vance said after meeting with congressional leaders at the White House. “I hope they change their minds, but we’ll see.” Trump’s talks, however, made little progress on extending health-care subsidies or reversing Medicaid funding cuts from Trump’s earlier tax legislation.
“If the president accepts some of the measures we’ve proposed, including health care fixes and rescissions, a shutdown can be avoided. But major differences remain,” said Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer.
Political hurdles continue for GOP Leaders
Even with a Republican majority in the Senate, GOP leaders need at least eight Democratic votes to pass any funding measure due to procedural rules and opposition from GOP Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky.
A shutdown could delay key economic reports, including the monthly employment numbers, and temporarily furlough hundreds of thousands of federal workers, while others would continue essential services without pay.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries claimed that Democrats won’t trade votes on short-term funding for vague promises on health care. “No one can trust their word on health care,” he said, pointing to Republicans’ continued attempts to repeal Obamacare over the last decade. Democrats are attempting to extend $350 billion in Obamacare tax credits for middle-class families and reverse Medicaid cuts, including new work requirements. They also want to protect medical research funding and prevent rescinded appropriations.
Fetterman warns of chaos if shutdown happens
Sen. John Fetterman, the only Senate Democrat who voted for a GOP funding extension last week, warned that delaying votes to pressure Republicans on Affordable Care Act subsidies could have serious consequences. “You’re risking chaos and affecting millions of Americans,” Fetterman told CNN. He also warned a shutdown might give Trump the chance to scale back federal government operations, calling it “the ideal outcome for Project 2025.”
Both Jeffries and Schumer rejected a short-term funding plan to temporarily keep the government open. Jeffries said, “We are a ‘no’ to kicking the can down the road. This issue needs to be dealt with immediately.” Schumer added, “We have to act now. The time is a-wasting.”
Even if a shutdown happens, some key services, like the National Weather Service, would continue to operate. But many federal operations would pause until lawmakers reach an agreement.