Vance: Trump's AI Memes Will Stop If Jeffries Helps

At a White House briefing, Vice President JD Vance said President Trump's AI-generated “sombrero” memes targeting House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries — and a separate edited clip that included fabricated audio of Sen. Chuck Schumer — would stop if Jeffries helped broker a deal to reopen the government. The posts, which show Jeffries with a sombrero and fake mustache, have been widely condemned by Democrats as racist. Vance defended the content as joking commentary, said he had discussed ending the posts with the president, and expressed willingness to negotiate with Senate Democrats. The memes and clip followed a meeting between Trump, Jeffries and Schumer and came as Congress failed to approve a stopgap funding measure, triggering a government shutdown on Oct. 1, 2025. Critics warned that sharing AI-manipulated material is inappropriate amid high-stakes budget talks.