Jeffries Tells Trump to 'Shut His Reckless Mouth' After President Calls Democrats 'Greatest Enemy'

The House Minority Leader criticized Trump's plan to deploy ICE agents to help TSA at airports during the government shutdown.

Mar. 22, 2026 at 5:24pm

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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries offered a blunt response to President Donald Trump after he called Democrats the 'greatest enemy' of the United States in a Truth Social post. Jeffries said 'Donald Trump should keep his reckless mouth shut before he gets somebody killed.' Jeffries also criticized Trump's decision to deploy ICE agents to help TSA employees at airports during the ongoing partial government shutdown, saying 'the last thing that the American people need are for untrained ICE agents to be deployed at airports all across the country, potentially to brutalize or in some instances, kill them.'

Why it matters

This exchange highlights the ongoing political tensions between the Democratic Party and the Trump administration, with Jeffries strongly condemning Trump's inflammatory rhetoric and actions. The decision to deploy ICE agents to airports raises concerns about potential abuse of power and the impact on public safety.

The details

In a Truth Social post on March 22, 2026, President Donald Trump called Democrats the 'greatest enemy' of the United States amid the ongoing war with Iran. During a live TV appearance on CNN's State of the Union that same day, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries responded by telling Trump to 'keep his reckless mouth shut before he gets somebody killed.' Jeffries also criticized Trump's plan to send ICE agents to help TSA employees at airports during the partial government shutdown, saying it could lead to the agents 'brutalizingor in some instances, kill' travelers.

  • On March 22, 2026, Trump made a post on Truth Social calling Democrats the 'greatest enemy' of the United States.
  • On March 22, 2026, Jeffries made his comments on CNN's State of the Union program.

The players

Donald Trump

The 45th President of the United States who served from 2017 to 2021.

Hakeem Jeffries

The House Minority Leader and a Democratic Congressman representing New York's 8th congressional district.

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What they’re saying

“Donald Trump should keep his reckless mouth shut before he gets somebody killed.”

— Hakeem Jeffries, House Minority Leader

“The last thing that the American people need are for untrained ICE agents to be deployed at airports all across the country, potentially to brutalize or in some instances, kill them.”

— Hakeem Jeffries, House Minority Leader

The takeaway

This exchange highlights the deep partisan divide in US politics, with the Democratic leadership strongly condemning the inflammatory rhetoric and actions of the Trump administration. It raises concerns about the potential for abuse of power and the impact on public safety if ICE agents are deployed to airports during the government shutdown.