From ‘THUG’ to ‘low IQ,’ Trump escalates personal and racist attacks against Rep. Hakeem Jeffries

Jeffries, who is poised to become the first Black speaker of the U.S

House—if Democrats win the majority in November’s midterm elections—has been working to ensure victory in key states; most recently in Virginia, where voters approved the redrawing of its congressional map to give Democrats more seats in Congress in response to a Trump-led redistricting effort to do the same for Republicans in states like Texas and North Carolina.

Seawright called out the “hypocrisy” of Trump’s outrage over Jeffries’ critique of the high court, noting that Trump had whiplashed the majority conservative justices in February for ruling against his global tariffs.

WASHINGTON, DC – FEBRUARY 20: U. S. President Donald Trump answers questions during a press briefing held at the White House February 20, 2026 in Washington, DC.

Photo by Aaron Schwartz/Getty Images)

It’s good for me, but not good for thee,” he told theGrio

That just goes to show you the hypocrisy that we see with Donald Trump and Republican leaders. It’s good for me, but not good for thee,” he told theGrio.

While insults from the president to the House Democratic leader are almost par for the course, Seawright notes the racial aspects of such attacks.

“He also knows that he is nowhere near, from an intelligent standpoint, on the same wavelength as Hakeem Jeffries. So the best thing he can do is try to send out toned-down right-wing red meat racial rhetoric by way of social media, in order to excite certain parts of his base,” Seawright told theGrio.