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Mamdani voices support for Jeffries amid Kushner meeting blowback New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) on Monday voiced his support for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) after he received blowback for meeting with Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law. A reporter asked Mamdani if he supported Jeffries were he to become Speaker if Democrats reclaim the House following the fall midterm elections. “I…

“Throughout this Congress, Republicans have adopted a my-way-or-the-highway approach to governing that has failed the American people,” Jeffries told HuffPost on Sunday. “To stop the madness, we have repeatedly made clear that an extremist approach will not work and will be met with forceful opposition.”

“The American people want bold change and that’s what House Democrats will deliver. In every conversation that we have with the Trump administration, we will continue to make it explicitly clear that the affordability crisis is not a hoax and nothing short of transformational policy change is acceptable,” Jeffries said in his statement. “We are fighting for an affordable America. The question is whether Republicans will join us.”

Democrats need to flip just three seats to regain control of the House, and they have history on their side as the party in power typically loses seats during midterm elections. Republicans, however, came out ahead during several mid-decade redistricting pursuits across the country, giving them a boost as they try to defy history.

Former Obama aide Tommy Vietor blasted Jeffries over the meeting, arguing that Kushner should be the target of congressional scrutiny rather than an ally.

“Jared Kushner has no actual government job. He just uses his family connections to get money from Gulf autocrats and fund corrupt deals,” Vietor said. “The only way Jeffries should work with him is with demands for documents and subpoenas.”

If Jeffries ends up leading a Democratic majority in the House, he will almost certainly face increased pressure from progressives on keeping the president accountable through oversight, as well as ensuring efforts to find common ground with the administration don’t mean sacrificing key parts of the party’s agenda.

Unlike Trump’s first term, Kushner does not currently hold an official government position in the administration. The president’s son-in-law has still, however, served as a top outside adviser and Trump’s shadow foreign envoy leading major negotiations for Iran, Gaza and Ukraine.