PresidentDonald Trumpposted an expletive-laden, deepfake video with racist tropes about immigrants after talks with Democrats did not end in agreement tokeep the federal government open. Senate Minority LeaderChuck Schumerand House Minority LeaderHakeem Jeffriesmet with Trump and Republican leaders on Sept. 29, just over 24 hours ahead of the government funding deadline. Later that night, Trump posted anapparently AI-created videoof Schumer speaking in a fake voice and Jeffries standing next to him with a sombrero, a mustache and mariachi music playing in the background. "There's no way to sugarcoat it, nobody likes Democrats anymore. We have no voters left because of our woke, trans (expletive)," Schumer's fake voice says. "Not even Black people wanna vote for us anymore, even Latinos hate us. So we need new votes. And if we give all these illegal aliens free healthcare, we might be able to get them on our side so they can vote for us. They can't even speak English, so they won't realize we're just a bunch of woke pieces of (expletive)." Jeffries and Schumer responded to the video by bringing it back to the fight over government funding. "Bigotry will get you nowhere," Jeffriesposted after Trump's video."Cancel the Cuts. Lower the Cost. Save Healthcare. We are NOT backing down." What is a government shutdown?Here's what it means and how it works The video is widely considered racist, includingby Jeffries himself. Trump shared it on his Truth Social account and X account, where it garnered more than 22.8 million views. The video contains several pieces of disinformation. Abouthalf of all U.S. immigrants speak Englishaccording to Pew, immigrants in the U.S. illegally can't vote, and undocumented immigrants are not eligible forfederally funded coverage, like Medicaid.Some have characterized the video as satire, mocking or trolling. "Whether or not it's satirical, it's still racist," saidPeter Loge,the director of the Project on Ethics in Political Communication at The George Washington University. He explained how it used Mexican stereotypes with the hat and music, falsely equated every Mexican person with undocumented immigrants, and put down the intelligence of Black and Latino voters. "The president of the United States has a responsibility to increase trust in the democratic institutions and to bring the American people together," Loge said. "Nobody should be sharing that video. Certainly not the president of the United States who represents all of the Americans, not just a small political base that supports him." "Anyone who's feigning outrage over a perfect meme should instead focus on the countless Americans who will suffer as a result of the Democrat shutdown," White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told USA TODAY in a statement. Jeffries and House Democrats held a press conference on Sept. 30 to highlight their efforts to fight for their healthcare demands as the threat of a government shutdown looms. "Mr. President, the next time you have something to say about me, don't cop out to aracist and fake AI video. When I'm back in the Oval Office, say it to my face," Jeffries said on the steps of the U.S. Capitol. He went on to blame Republicans for not negotiating to fund the government. Jeffries also took a hit back at Trump on social media shortly after the AI video went up, pointing to the ongoing controversy over Trump's relationship with the late sex offenderJeffrey Epstein. This is real.pic.twitter.com/MSANoEbFCP — Hakeem Jeffries (@hakeemjeffries)September 30, 2025 "If you think your shutdown is a joke, it just proves what we all know: You can't negotiate. You can only throw tantrums," Schumer posted on Sept. 29 whensharing Trump's AI video. Schumer also called Trump a 10-year-old trolling the internet in remarks on the Senate floor, accordingThe Hill. Funding for the government expires at midnight on Sept. 30 and a breakthrough for an agreement looks unlikely. "There was a frank and direct discussion with the president of the United States and Republican leaders," Jeffries said after meeting with the president on Sept. 29, but added, "significant and meaningful differences remain." Republicans want a stopgap solution that would extend funding through Nov. 21, and Democrats want changes to healthcare access and subsidies as part of the deal. Both sides are trying to blame a potential shutdown on each other. Without funding, staffing at many federal agencies will be significantly reduced and federal services (except those considered "essential") will be halted. (This story has been updated with additional information.) Contributing: Zachary Schermele, Francesca Chambers, USA TODAY Kinsey Crowley is the Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at kcrowley@gannett.com. Follow her on X and TikTok @kinseycrowley or Bluesky at @kinseycrowley.bsky.social. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Trump posts 'racist' video of Hakeem Jeffries, Chuck Schumer on shutdown
