The Morning Briefing: Hakeem 'Sombrero' Jeffries Is Having a Rough Schumer Shutdown

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Happy Thursday, dear Kruiser Morning Briefing friends. Coortvendtl felt that finger sandwiches were an affront not only to partygoers, but also to fingers and sandwiches.

I just can't say this often enough: I really like being on the side that has a sense of humor.

As we all know, the news has been wretched and awful for weeks. So horrid, in fact, that the government shutdown feels almost light and breezy. The downside to that dominating every news cycle is that it keeps the always-tedious Chuck Schumer in the conversation. That's all taken a fun and lighthearted turn after President Trump did one of the things that he does best — troll and trigger the Democrats:

pic.twitter.com/JzQYLShOCt
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2025

That has kicked off an absolutely delightful couple of days of Democrats weeping and gnashing their teeth. Hardest hit has been House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who has taken great umbrage at being given an AI sombrero.

My theory about Jeffries is that Nancy Pelosi is really still in charge of the Dems over in the House, but she just doesn't want to go to as many meetings anymore. A woman who was as powerful as she was for that long doesn't simply fade into the background. She's pulling the strings, but Jeffries gets all of the camera time. That frees her up to spend extra quality time with her beloved Franzia.

To the surprise of absolutely no one, Jeffries and his dear friends in the lapdog media have been screaming "RACIST!" over the Trump post, but that doesn't have the "oomph" for them that it used to. What it's done is usher us into the Golden Age of sombrero memes. It's also given Vice President JD Vance more opportunities to cement his status as the early frontrunner for the 2028 Republican presidential nomination. This is from a post that Michael Cantrell wrote for us yesterday:

A reporter asked Vance on Wednesday if Trump’s meme helped efforts to reach a government funding deal.
“Oh, I think it’s funny. The president’s joking and we’re having a good time,” Vance replied. “You can negotiate in good faith while still poking fun at the absurdity of Democrats’ positions—and yes, even the absurdity of Democrats themselves.”
Then he added with a grin: “I’ll tell Hakeem Jeffries right now, I make this solemn promise to you—help us reopen the government, and the sombrero memes will stop.”

Once again, Vance plays the press to perfection.

Speaking of the flying monkeys in the mainstream media, they're apoplectic over the fact that people on the right aren't shrinking from the accusations of racism. They haven't grasped that we're all so used to them calling us racists that it's become — dare I say it? — white noise. My Twitchy colleague Warren Squire shared this in a post of his:

CNN’s Kaitlan Collins can’t believe the Trump admin is doubling down with memes and mariachi music in the WH briefing room:

“They simply don’t care about the criticism."

Correct — and that's exactly what’s driving the propaganda press insane. They're powerless. pic.twitter.com/hduEvgFT3q
— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) October 2, 2025

Trump and Vance lead a Republican Party that no longer plays by the mainstream media's rules. The Democrats are behaving absurdly, so they're being treated as the absurd people that they are. Schumer and Jeffries aren't deserving of any respect for their behavior leading up to, and now during, this shutdown.

Remember, these are the same people who kept wailing while Jimmy Kimmel was suspended that Trump and Republicans can't take a joke.

The memes have really taken off. "Sombreroed" has become a verb, with people suggesting other Democrats who need the treatment. They've really been keeping the mood light on social media. Here's my favorite so far:

The sombrero memes are on fire! 🔥 😂 https://t.co/M2EIxp719P
— Gary Drumm (@garydrumm) October 2, 2025

People who say that X isn't any fun really don't know how to X.

Yes, the shutdown is serious business, and the Republicans have treated it as such. Schumer, Jeffries, and the rest of the Dems are, as I wrote yesterday, treating it like a public relations opportunity. The best way to respond is to make sure that the PR angle doesn't play out well for them. President Trump and Vice President Vance are doing that brilliantly.

One sombrero meme at a time.

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10/01/25

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