Hakeem Jeffries, the first Black Speaker of the House, is set to stand in Trump’s way
A New York lawyer, he was the first Black man to lead a party in Congress
Hakeem Jeffries was the first Black man to lead a party in Congress, succeeding Nancy Pelosi as leader of the Democrats in the House of Representatives after the party lost its majority in the 2022 mid-term elections. He is now set to become the first Black Speaker of the House in US history. This marks a historic milestone for a crucial role in US politics: if the President and Vice-President were no longer able to govern, the Speaker of the House – the only top-level position in Congress provided for by the Constitution – would become President.
Jeffries will find himself presiding over the Assembly at a time when many of the fundamental achievements of the 20th-century civil rights era are once again being called into question, often by the Trump administration. In the past, the President himself has mocked Jeffries, both publicly and in private. On one occasion, he mocked him by posting a photoshopped image on social media showing the Democratic leader wearing a sombrero in front of the White House.
Among the priorities of this New Yorker from Brooklyn, born in 1970, the son of an Air Force veteran and a social worker, are reversing the cuts to healthcare spending implemented during the Trump administration and tackling rising costs for families. He also intends to oppose Trump’s approach to the conflict in Iran and, above all, aims to act as a counterweight to the President’s trade agenda. An opponent on tariffs in the House of Representatives could prove a real headache for the President.
The pressing issues are well known: rising healthcare costs, rising fuel and food prices, the war in Iran, relations between Trump and Putin regarding Ukraine, as well as concerns about corruption, are the issues that must be addressed immediately.
Jeffries was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2012, representing a constituency in Central Brooklyn. Prior to that, he worked as a lawyer at a leading law firm and was elected to office in the State of New York. According to fellow MPs and staff, Jeffries is known for being a level-headed politician with an extraordinary memory for the details of conversations. As Josh Gottheimer, a Democratic MP from New Jersey, has recounted, Jeffries quotes both the rapper Biggie Smalls and the Bible with equal ease. He is also known to be a fan of the legendary rapper Notorious B.I.G. and has quoted lyrics from his songs in the House at least twice: the first time in 2017, to mark the 20th anniversary of his death in a shooting, and the second in 2020, during the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump.
