Hakeem Jeffries: Elise Stefanik Is Nothing More Than A Handmaiden For Trump
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) criticized Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) in an MSNBC interview Friday, calling her a “sycophant” for former President Donald Trump. The comments came after Stefanik announced her 2026 run for New York governor.
ANA CABRERA, MSNBC HOST: Let me ask you about another topic quickly while I have you. Your New York GOP colleague, Elise Stefanik, just announced this morning she’s running for governor of New York, promising to make the state affordable and safe. Of course, that affordability argument worked for Democrats this week, including for Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist who just became the next New York City mayor. And he has been a political punching bag for the right and divisive among your own party. Do you think Stefanik’s going to make this race a referendum on Mamdani, and could it work? REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY), MINORITY LEADER: You know, Elise Stefanik is nothing more than a handmaiden for Donald Trump’s extreme policies. She’s a sycophant who has been a repeated rubber stamp for Donald Trump’s extreme agenda that is doing nothing but hurting the people of New York and everyday Americans across the country. If Elise Stefanik really wants to do something about the high cost of living, she should tell her boss, Donald Trump, to end these reckless tariffs, which are increasing costs by thousands of dollars per year on New York families and on families across America. CABRERA: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, thank you for being with us. We really appreciate your time.
