Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., found herself trending on social media Friday after House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., pledged Democrats would fight President Donald Trump’s agenda “in the streets.”
The Democratic leader made the controversial remarks when asked about Democratic New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ lack of pushback against Trump, and whether it made him a “good fit” to lead the Big Apple.
“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.
“That’s not acceptable. We are going to fight it legislatively. We are going to fight it in the courts. We’re going to fight it in the streets.”
HAKEEM JEFFRIES PLEDGES DEMOCRATS WILL ‘FIGHT’ TRUMP AGENDA ‘IN THE STREETS’
Many took to social media to declare that Jeffries had a “Maxine Waters moment.”
Waters famously came under fire in 2018 when she encouraged her supporters to fight back against the Trump administration amid backlash over the White House’s “zero-tolerance” immigration policy.
“Let’s make sure we show up whenever we have to show up. And if you see anybody from that cabinet in a restaurant, in a department store, at a gasoline station, you get out and you create a crowd and you push back on them and you tell them they’re not welcomed anymore, anywhere,” Waters told supporters at a Los Angeles protest.
Many saw similarities with the rhetoric from Jeffries:
“Hakeem Jeffries is pulling a Maxine Waters. He’s going to get people hurt and/or arrested saying words like this! He’s calling for people to ‘fight in the streets,” one user wrote.
Another added, “This needs to STOP! Democrats are trying to entice violence. There needs to be accountability! They did the same thing during Trump’s last presidency. Maxine Waters! Get them while there at restaurants! No more!”
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Many others took to social media with strong opinions about Jeffries’ rhetoric:
A senior White House official told Fox News, “Hakeem Jeffries must apologize for this disgraceful call to violence.”
Jeffries spokesperson Christie Stephenson told Fox News Digital, “The notion that Leader Jeffries supports violence is laughable. Republicans are the party that pardons violent felons who assault police officers. Democrats are the party of John Lewis and the right to petition the government peacefully.”
Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.
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