CNN anchor Dana Bash brought in House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries for a Sunday morning interview on “State of the Union,” and he spent most of his time declaring President Donald Trump’s recent actions and policy positions to be racially motivated.
Jeffries was particularly concerned with Trump’s efforts to reframe a number of exhibits that are part of the Smithsonian Museums in the nation’s capital — exhibits that Trump said work overtime to paint the United States in a less than flattering light.
Jeffries claimed that Trump was “behaving like a racial arsonist” and attempting to whitewash America’s history with regard to slavery.
“It’s extraordinary that he would make such a historically ignorant statement,” Jeffries complained, adding, “The Smithsonian should continue to hold the line and make sure that this very painful part of American history is not erased.”
WATCH:
House Democratic Leader @hakeemjeffries reacts to Trump’s review of the Smithsonian museums: Donald Trump is “behaving like a racial arsonist. ” pic.twitter.com/vJcH32CSFQ
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) August 24, 2025
From The White House website:
The exhibits marked by the Trump administration as part of the problem were not the ones that directly addressed slavery — but rather those that attacked “white culture “The National Museum of African American History and Culture debuted a series to educate people on “a society that privileges white people and whiteness” — defining so-called “white dominant culture“ as “ways white people and their traditions, attitudes, and ways of life have been normalized over time” and portraying “the nuclear family,” “work ethic,” and “intellect” as white qualities rooted in racism.
Jeffries also pivoted to race when the discussion turned to the recent redistricting fight in Texas, blaming Trump — who supported the new map — and claiming that the Republican-driven map was also rooted in racism.
“This is a racial, partisan gerrymander ordered by Donald Trump as part of an effort to rig the midterm elections,” he claimed.
.@HakeemJeffries on what’s happening on Texas redistricting: “this is a racial, partisan gerrymander ordered by Donald Trump as part of an effort to rig the midterm elections.” pic.twitter.com/jG30xxrDKK
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) August 24, 2025