Democrat Leader Jeffries Weighs Closer Relationship with Musk

Just one day after the fallout between President Donald Trump and Elon Musk went nuclear on social media, Democrat House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries was already trying to leverage it to his advantage.

To be sure, Jeffries, D-N.Y., is not mourning Musk’s departure from the Washington scene.

Asked by The Daily Signal if he thought Musk's departure would improve the administration’s conduct in his eyes, he said, “That’s all an open question that needs to be evaluated over the next few weeks and next few months.”

He added, “Our position on a lot of the efforts of this Trump administration and what took place during the first 100 days remains clear. The first 100 days of the Trump administration … have been characterized by chaos, cruelty, and corruption.”

But Jeffries notably indicated the door was open to talking with Musk.

“To the extent that there are former members of the Trump administration—as has been the case now for years—that actually have a greater degree of clarity about the downsides of Trumpism in the United States of America, we welcome continued conversations with those former members,” he told The Daily Signal.

Pressed further on how he would use the Trump-Musk split to his advantage to kill Republicans' “big, beautiful bill,” he indicated he could use Musk's opposition to help criticize the budget package, which is the main vehicle for fulfilling Trump's campaign promises.

“To the extent that Elon Musk has made the same point, that everyone who has voted for this bill up until this moment should be ashamed of themselves, we agree. And to the extent that Elon Musk has made the point that the bill is a disgusting abomination, we agree,” said Jeffries.

“These are arguments that Democrats have been making now for months,” he added.

Jeffries continued to say that he welcomed the split because it increases the likelihood of the bill not passing in the Senate.

“To the extent that the developments of this week will make it more likely that we can kill the GOP tax scam, that’s a welcome development,” he said.

The New York Democrat later said that “Donald Trump would likely not be the President of the United States of America right now without Elon Musk,” echoing an argument that Musk himself has made on X.