Johnson predicts leadership strains for Jeffries amid party civisions
By Frank Ulom
WASHINGTON (CONVERSEER) – House Speaker Mike Johnson has predicted growing leadership difficulties for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, citing tensions between moderate Democrats and the party’s increasingly influential far-left wing.
In an interview with the Daily Caller News Foundation (DCNF), Johnson warned that Jeffries’ alignment with progressive activists during the ongoing federal government shutdown could alienate the remaining moderates within the Democratic caucus, creating a potentially untenable leadership position.
“He’s trying to appeal to the less-progressive, more-moderate people, the small handful of them that remain in the Democratic Party and in Congress while also trying to appease the radical Marxist progressive left, and that’s an impossible assignment,” Johnson said. “So he finds himself in these terrible positions saying and doing things that he knows are not true, that he doesn’t personally believe, but he’s trying to lead a fractured caucus.”
Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer have backed a politically risky government shutdown, influenced by pressure from the party’s left-wing base, which has been calling for a protracted standoff with congressional Republicans and President Donald Trump over government spending. The shutdown has temporarily affected military pay and disrupted nutrition and healthcare programmes for Americans.
Johnson argued that Democrats’ decision to support the shutdown was ironic, as it allowed the Trump administration to further reduce the size of the federal workforce and cut agency programmes by keeping government operations closed. He also highlighted what he described as hypocrisy, recalling that Jeffries and other Democrats had previously condemned shutdowns as dangerous.
“Hakeem Jeffries has always said that shutting the government down is dangerous,” Johnson said. “He knows that, but he voted, and he led his entire caucus to vote against it [funding the government] two weeks ago, except for one who broke ranks.”
Maine Representative Jared Golden was the lone Democrat to support the Republican spending bill, which funds the government at current levels without partisan policy riders. Golden criticised party leaders for catering to left-wing activist groups to stage opposition to President Trump.
Jeffries sidestepped questions about Golden’s comments during a press conference, maintaining that Democrats’ policy demands were not partisan.
Internal Party Pressure Mounts
Jeffries is also navigating pressure from within his party regarding New York City’s mayoral race. He has so far declined to endorse Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani, an avowed socialist, despite mounting calls from the party’s progressive wing.
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez criticised Jeffries and Schumer for hesitating to support Mamdani, reflecting the growing influence of the party’s left flank. Some New York Democrats, however, have distanced themselves from Mamdani, calling him “too extreme” for the city’s leadership.
“Both Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries are running scared from AOC and the far-left in their party — they have outsize influence — and they’re terrified,” Johnson claimed.
Meanwhile, efforts by House Democrats to communicate their shutdown strategy have faltered. A livestream organised by the caucus attracted only a small audience and ended abruptly after being widely mocked, while a short video by Senator Bernie Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez drew 1.5 million views on X.
Jeffries also recently criticised an AI-generated video shared by President Trump portraying him in a sombrero, a move Johnson described as a distraction from substantive issues.
“He’s making himself appear unserious when he’s arguing about a sombrero meme while the government is shut down and people are losing healthcare and vital services,” Johnson said. “They are doing this to themselves. This is not Republicans — these are self-inflicted wounds.”
A spokesperson for Jeffries declined to comment on the Speaker’s remarks.
