Quick Hit:

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is facing Republican criticism after pledging that Democrats would fight President Donald Trump's agenda "in the streets." Jeffries made the remarks during a Friday press conference in Brooklyn, with House Majority Whip Tom Emmer and a senior White House official demanding an apology.

Key Details:

• Jeffries claimed the Trump administration's policies were harming everyday Americans, declaring, "We're going to fight it legislatively. We are going to fight it in the courts. We're going to fight it in the streets."

• Emmer slammed Jeffries’ remarks as “inflammatory and extreme,” accusing him of trying to divide the country while Republicans focus on unity.

• A senior White House official called Jeffries’ comments a “disgraceful call to violence” and urged him to retract them.

Diving Deeper:

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ fiery rhetoric during a Brooklyn press conference on Friday has sparked immediate backlash from Republicans, who accused him of inciting unrest. Jeffries framed his remarks as a commitment to resisting what he called an “extreme MAGA Republican agenda” that he claims prioritizes the wealthy over working Americans.

"Right now, we're going to keep focus on the need to look out for everyday New Yorkers and everyday Americans who are under assault by an extreme MAGA Republican agenda that is trying to cut taxes for billionaires, donors, and wealthy corporations and then stick New Yorkers and working-class Americans across the country with the bill," Jeffries said before adding that Democrats would "fight it legislatively," "fight it in the courts," and "fight it in the streets."

The remark about fighting in the streets was immediately condemned by House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, who called on Jeffries to apologize. "House Minority Leader [Jeffries] should promptly apologize for his use of inflammatory and extreme rhetoric," Emmer wrote on X, accusing him of fostering division. A senior White House official echoed those sentiments, saying Jeffries' comments amounted to a "disgraceful call to violence."

Jeffries’ press conference came as he attacked the Trump administration’s recent federal funding freeze, which temporarily halted most government spending while agencies conducted reviews of taxpayer-funded programs. The White House later clarified that the funding pause primarily targeted progressive initiatives that Trump had blocked through executive orders. However, a federal judge swiftly intervened, forcing the administration to rescind the freeze hours later.

Despite the legal setback, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that funding blocks tied to Trump’s executive orders remained in place. Jeffries, however, took credit for the reversal, boasting that Democrats "rose up in defiance" and "stopped" the funding freeze.

Jeffries has yet to respond to calls for an apology over his remarks, as Republicans continue to hammer him for what they see as dangerous rhetoric amid an already politically charged climate.