{"id":199643,"date":"2026-08-24T04:45:13","date_gmt":"2026-08-24T04:45:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/199643\/"},"modified":"2026-08-24T04:45:13","modified_gmt":"2026-08-24T04:45:13","slug":"clearest-sign-yet-that-trump-believes-house-will-go-democrat-son-in-law-jared-kushner-meets-with-minority-leader-hakeem-jeffries-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/199643\/","title":{"rendered":"Clearest sign yet that Trump believes House will go Democrat? Son-in-law Jared Kushner meets with Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">President Donald Trump may be losing confidence in <a data-ylk=\"slk:his party&#039;s chances;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/news\/world\/americas\/us-politics\/trump-poll-economy-midterms-2026-b3034383.html\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">his party&#8217;s chances<\/a> of holding onto the House <a data-ylk=\"slk:in the midterms,;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/news\/world\/americas\/us-politics\/congress-trump-democrats-majority-midterms-filibuster-b3034568.html#comments-area\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">in the midterms,<\/a> if his son-in-law&#8217;s latest diplomatic efforts are any indication.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Jared Kushner, the president&#8217;s son-in-law who serves as his &#8220;special envoy for peace&#8221; in the Middle East, recently met with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, The New York Times reported, as polls increasingly show signs of Republicans <a data-ylk=\"slk:losing one or both chambers;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/news\/world\/americas\/us-politics\/trump-midterm-elections-national-emergency-b3034369.html\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">losing one or both chambers<\/a> to Democrats in November.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Voter sentiment <a data-ylk=\"slk:has been turning against the GOP;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/news\/world\/americas\/us-politics\/trump-approval-poll-reuters-ipsos-b3034767.html\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">has been turning against the GOP<\/a> for months as Americans <a data-ylk=\"slk:sour on the Iran war;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/news\/world\/americas\/us-politics\/trump-iran-war-midterm-voters-b3031406.html\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">sour on the Iran war<\/a> and a cost-of-living crisis.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Kushner and the Democratic leader discussed several topics at the recent get-together in New York City including immigration, housing and cost of living, The Times reported.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Neither Jeffries nor Kushner confirmed the meeting directly. But the House Democratic leader issued a statement to the Times condemning the Trump administration&#8217;s one-path approach in recent negotiations with Democrats in Congress.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"Jared Kushner and Hakeem Jeffries spoke about policy initiatives including housing, immigration and cost of living, according to the Times (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/the_independent_635\/7d5f2eee9932ae11e807d0aa22d68318.jpg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Jared Kushner and Hakeem Jeffries spoke about policy initiatives including housing, immigration and cost of living, according to the Times (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;Throughout this Congress, Republicans have adopted a my-way-or-the-highway approach to governing that has failed the American people,&#8221; said Jeffries, according to the Times.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">However House Speaker Mike Johnson addressed reports of the meeting on Fox News&#8217; The Sunday Briefing and warned Kushner not to &#8220;hedge his bets&#8221; against the House Republican caucus.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;I know Jared&#8217;s a smart guy and he hedges bets, but I&#8217;m telling you what, you better not bet against the House Republicans,&#8221; said Johnson. He added that the election would come down to &#8220;about 19 seats that will decide the fate of the Republic.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The meeting was reportedly set up by a mutual friend of the pair. Jeffries and Kushner have reportedly stayed in touch after working on a criminal justice reform bill during Trump&#8217;s first term, according to the Times.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"Jared Kushner was appointed to Trump's Gaza 'Board of Peace' and has led his efforts to conduct diplomacy with Iran (AFP\/Getty)\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/the_independent_635\/0291c166b154055e5ce73ea52d1e51f6.jpg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Jared Kushner was appointed to Trump&#8217;s Gaza &#8216;Board of Peace&#8217; and has led his efforts to conduct diplomacy with Iran (AFP\/Getty)<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">If the Democrats win four seats in the House in November, Jeffries will takeover from Johnson as Speaker in January. In the Senate, Democrats need four seats to obtain a majority.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Democrats&#8217; path to a House win looks much clearer with polling in their favor over the last two months. And some GOP members are facing especially tough re-election races due to personal issues.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">New Jersey Representative Tom Kean returned to the House in July after an absence of 116 days, during which he missed votes and did not speak to reporters.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">He later issued a statement <a data-ylk=\"slk:explaining;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/news\/world\/americas\/us-politics\/tom-kean-depression-congress-absence-b3006009.html\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">explaining<\/a> that he was battling depression. Kean won his district handily in 2024, but local fights over an ICE processing facility as well as his extended absence have created <a data-ylk=\"slk:new challenges;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/news\/world\/americas\/us-politics\/tom-kean-campaign-event-reporter-police-b3037775.html\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">new challenges<\/a> for his re-election effort. The House Democratic campaign has identified Kean&#8217;s district as one of their &#8220;Red to Blue&#8221; <a data-ylk=\"slk:priorities this cycle.;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/dccc.org\/2026-red-to-blue\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">priorities this cycle.<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"Jeffries is due to become the first Black speaker of the House if he is elected by his party in January upon their likely victory in November (Getty)\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/the_independent_635\/9286f3d37e6d03eb3c19af6228c0ce8d.jpg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Jeffries is due to become the first Black speaker of the House if he is elected by his party in January upon their likely victory in November (Getty)<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Ohio Rep. Max Miller, meanwhile, is dogged by allegations of child abuse and domestic abuse by his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, daughter of Republican Senator Bernie Moreno.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Miller has strongly denied the claims but his district is now viewed by Democrats as in play after he <a data-ylk=\"slk:refused calls;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/news\/world\/americas\/us-politics\/max-miller-trump-domestic-abuse-allegations-b3027245.html\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">refused calls<\/a> from <a data-ylk=\"slk:Republicans and others;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/news\/world\/americas\/us-politics\/max-miller-senator-allegations-resign-b3026060.html\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Republicans and others<\/a> to step down.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"President Donald Trump may be losing confidence in his party&#8217;s chances of holding onto the House in the&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":199644,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[143],"tags":[485,1729,89274,2452,478,65,5159],"class_list":["post-199643","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mike-johnson","tag-hakeem-jeffries","tag-house-minority-leader","tag-house-republican-caucus","tag-jared-kushner","tag-mike-johnson","tag-president-donald-trump","tag-the-house"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@people\/117148668885808420","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/199643","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=199643"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/199643\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/199644"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=199643"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=199643"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=199643"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}