President Donald Trump released a second AI-generated video aimed at House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Tuesday night, September 30, 2025, shortly before the federal government shutdown at midnight. The action increased tensions with congressional Democrats amid ongoing funding negotiations.
Posted on Trump’s Truth Social platform, the video showed Jeffries criticizing an earlier AI post by Trump as “disgusting” during an MSNBC interview. The footage was digitally altered to feature an AI-generated mariachi band with Trump’s face on each musician. Jeffries, who is Black, was digitally portrayed with a sombrero and mustache while mariachi music played.
This video followed a previous AI-altered post from Monday evening, which received significant criticism. That video showed Jeffries with a sombrero and mustache, while Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer appeared to speak in a fake voice. The post came soon after the two Democratic leaders met with Trump at the White House.
In the Monday video, the fabricated Schumer voice stated, “Look, guys, there’s no way to sugarcoat it. Nobody likes Democrats anymore.” The manipulated audio further claimed Democrats had lost voters due to woke policies.
Jeffries responded on social media, asserting that “bigotry will get you nowhere.” Schumer commented that if Trump viewed the shutdown as a joke, it showed his inability to negotiate.
House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana criticized Trump’s AI video during a conversation with Pennsylvania Rep. Madeleine Dean. When Dean questioned Johnson about the video, he responded, “It wasn’t my style.”
Dean responded that the video was disgraceful and racist, urging Johnson to denounce it. Johnson told Dean he was addressing the issue and reiterated that it was not his style.
Dean later informed reporters that Johnson questioned whether the video was racist. She asked if depicting a Black leader with a sombrero was not considered racist.
Johnson appeared to change his stance later on Tuesday during a CNN interview, describing the video as intended as a joke and emphasizing that the real priority was keeping the government open.
Trump’s social media activity coincided with stalled negotiations over government funding. Both Republican and Democratic funding proposals failed in the Senate on Tuesday evening, leading to the shutdown at 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday, October 1.
On Tuesday, Trump also shared photos from Monday’s meeting with Democratic leaders in the Oval Office. The images showed Trump pointing at Jeffries from behind his desk. The photos included “Trump 2028” campaign hats, which Trump reportedly offered to Democratic leaders, who declined them. Jeffries turned to Vice President JD Vance for his opinion, to which Vance replied “No comment,” eliciting laughter.
The funding deadlock was due to differing demands from both parties. Republicans proposed a resolution to fund the government through mid-November at current levels, while Democrats wanted to extend Affordable Care Act tax credits and reverse some Medicaid cuts.
Jeffries highlighted the healthcare implications in a press conference, mentioning that “more than 20 million Americans” were at risk of increased premiums due to the Republican stance on Affordable Care Act tax credits.
The enhanced premium tax credit, effective since 2021 and expiring at the end of 2025, aids 22 million Americans in reducing their insurance costs through the Affordable Care Act marketplaces. Since its introduction, enrollment has nearly doubled.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota accused Democrats of shifting their position because of Trump’s presidency, labeling the funding resolution as routine.
Despite Republican majorities in both the House and Senate, most legislation requires 60 Senate votes to proceed, necessitating Democratic support to pass funding measures.
The Monday meeting was the first between congressional leaders and the president to discuss the funding issue after Trump canceled a previous meeting. Vice President Vance stated post-meeting that they were likely headed for a shutdown, while Schumer noted significant differences between the sides.
The Congressional Budget Office estimated that around 750,000 federal employees could be furloughed during the shutdown, although they would receive back pay afterward. Essential workers like law enforcement officers, military personnel, and air traffic controllers would continue working without pay.
Trump suggested the shutdown could allow actions detrimental to Democrats, such as significant layoffs. Vice President Vance told reporters, “We are going to have to lay some people off if the shutdown continues.”
Federal employees received messages on Wednesday blaming Congressional Democrats for the shutdown. Small Business Administration employees received suggested out-of-office replies stating the shutdown resulted from Senate Democrats blocking a clean funding bill.
A PBS News/NPR/Marist poll from September 22-26 showed Americans split on blame: 38 percent blamed Republicans, 27 percent blamed Democrats, and 31 percent blamed both equally. The poll surveyed 1,477 U.S. adults and had a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points.
The last government funding lapse, from December 2018 to January 2019, led to a “permanent loss of about $3 billion,” according to the Congressional Budget Office.
