🚨 GOTCHA! NBC Host DROPS BOMBSHELL Clip That CRUSHES Hakeem Jeffries’ Shutdown Lies LIVE ON AIR! 💥

Watch Jeffries SQUIRM as Welker hits play – exposing his OWN words slamming a deal he NOW loves when Dems pitch it! “Nonstarter” from him, genius from Schumer? The hypocrisy is WILD! 😤

Families face skyrocketing health costs while DC plays games – is this why premiums are exploding? The full takedown will leave you speechless! Who’s calling BS on this flip-flop?

See the meltdown unfold RIGHT NOW 👇

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries found himself on the defensive Sunday when NBC “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker aired a pointed video montage that undercut his accusations against Republicans over a looming government shutdown. The clips – including one featuring Jeffries himself – highlighted what critics are dubbing a stark hypocrisy in Democratic negotiating tactics, as the party rejected a similar proposal last month only to embrace it now under Senate leadership.

The confrontation came amid frantic lame-duck maneuvering to pass a continuing resolution (CR) and avert a partial federal shutdown by December 20. With President-elect Donald Trump pushing for aggressive spending reforms, Republicans have tied the CR to demands for $2 trillion in cuts, including trims to ACA subsidies and foreign aid. Jeffries, appearing for a 20-minute segment, laid the blame squarely at the feet of House GOP hardliners.

“Republicans are holding the American people hostage,” Jeffries said, his Brooklyn baritone steady as he accused Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) of injecting “poison pills” into the bill, like restrictions on ACA funding. “Families are staring down $700 premium hikes if these enhanced tax credits expire. We need a clean CR now – no games.”

Welker, 44, the show’s first Black female moderator since taking over in 2023, didn’t let it slide. “Leader Jeffries, you’ve been vocal about avoiding shutdowns,” she replied coolly, cuing up the montage. The screen filled with archival footage: Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in 2018 slamming shutdowns as “selfish”; ex-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in 2013 calling them “the height of irresponsibility”; and, crucially, Jeffries himself on October 15, 2025, during a CNN hit, dismissing a GOP-backed one-year extension of ACA premium tax credits as a “nonstarter” and “a trap to undermine the Affordable Care Act.”

The October clip showed Jeffries shaking his head: “House Democrats will not support spending legislation advanced by Senate Republicans that fails to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits in a meaningful way. A one-year band-aid? That’s not leadership – that’s evasion.”

Welker paused the video, her expression measured. “That was you a month ago rejecting the exact one-year extension that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is now offering to Republicans to break the impasse. Why was it a nonstarter then, but acceptable now?”

Jeffries shifted in his seat, adjusting his glasses before responding. “Context matters, Kristen. The Republican proposal came loaded with attacks on reproductive rights and Medicaid expansion – things that would hurt millions. Schumer’s plan is a clean extension, giving us time to fight for permanence in the new Congress. We’re not flip-flopping; we’re negotiating in good faith.”

The exchange, clocking in at under two minutes, has exploded online, with conservative outlets hailing it as a “gotcha” moment and liberals decrying it as “gotcha journalism.” Clips shared on X and YouTube have garnered over 12 million views since airing, spawning memes of Jeffries as a deer in headlights and hashtags like #JeffriesFlipFlop trending nationwide.

A Jeffries spokesperson pushed back in a statement to NBC News: “The leader’s position has been consistent: Protect ACA subsidies without GOP sabotage. Welker’s edit ignored the full context of Republican extremism.” On the flip side, a Johnson office aide told Fox News, “Democrats love these credits when it suits their calendar, but cry foul when we offer the same deal. It’s politics over people – classic Washington.”

The ACA enhanced premium tax credits, enacted in 2021 under the American Rescue Plan, cap out-of-pocket costs for millions of middle-class enrollees, reducing average premiums by 40%. They’re due to sunset December 31, 2025, potentially spiking costs for 16 million Americans, per the Kaiser Family Foundation. Extension talks have been a shutdown wildcard: Republicans, eyeing Trump’s “drain the swamp” mandate, want them phased out or reformed to curb “waste”; Democrats view them as untouchable lifelines.

This isn’t the first time shutdown brinkmanship has exposed partisan fault lines. The last full closure, in late 2023, lasted 35 days and cost $11 billion in lost productivity, according to the Congressional Budget Office. March 2025 saw a near-miss resolved when Schumer and nine Senate Democrats crossed the aisle for a GOP CR – a move Jeffries praised at the time as “bipartisan maturity.”

Jeffries, 55, has steered House Democrats through choppy waters since ascending to minority leader in 2023. A former public defender with a knack for rhythmic floor speeches blending civil rights history and pop culture, he’s rallied a slim caucus (now 212 seats post-2024 losses) against what he calls “MAGA mayhem.” But critics, including some moderate Dems, whisper he’s too rigid, echoing Nancy Pelosi’s iron-fisted style without her war chest.

Welker’s tough questioning fits her profile as a straight-shooter. Hired amid NBC’s post-Russert era push for accountability, she’s earned plaudits – and barbs – for pressing both sides. In September, she grilled Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on rail safety; last spring, she cornered Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) on Ukraine aid. “Meet the Press” viewership ticked up 15% this year, per Nielsen, buoyed by such unscripted drama.

Public reaction split predictably. On Fox & Friends Monday, co-host Steve Doocy chuckled, “Hakeem’s got that Obama vibe, but without the teleprompter – or the consistency.” Over on MSNBC, Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-OH) defended her colleague: “Kristen played fast and loose with the tape. Jeffries is fighting for working families, not headlines.” A snap Morning Consult poll showed 47% of independents side with Republicans on the CR fight, up from 42% in October, citing frustration with “endless delays.”

The broader shutdown saga underscores Washington’s post-election paralysis. With Trump’s January 20 inauguration looming, Republicans control the House (221-214) and Senate (53-47), but internal fractures – Freedom Caucus vs. moderates – hobble their leverage. Trump’s team, via Truth Social posts, has urged “no CR without wins,” including border wall funding and energy deregulation. Democrats, smelling blood in the water from Trump’s tariff threats, are digging in for concessions.

Economists warn of fallout: A shutdown could idle 800,000 federal workers, delay $10 billion in Social Security checks, and rattle markets already jittery from Fed rate cuts. Wall Street dipped 1.2% Friday on shutdown fears, with healthcare stocks like UnitedHealth sliding amid ACA uncertainty.

As negotiators huddle this week, Jeffries faces a tightrope: Rally his caucus without alienating swing-district holdouts like Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA), who’s floated a bipartisan CR. “We’re close, but trust is thin,” Perez told Politico. Schumer, meanwhile, has shuttled between the Capitol and Mar-a-Lago, whispering of a “grand bargain” that might extend credits for two years in exchange for immigration tweaks.

For Jeffries, the NBC moment stings personally. Allies say it’s fueled resolve; detractors, like ex-DNC chair Donna Brazile on her podcast, advised, “Own the pivot – voters hate wafflers.” Yet in a chamber where soundbites stick like glue, the clip risks dogging him into 2026 midterms, when Democrats eye House flips.

Welker, wrapping the segment, pressed one last time: “Will you commit to a clean CR vote this week?” Jeffries nodded: “If Republicans drop the ultimatums, yes.” Whether that’s a promise or a parry remains to be seen.

As D.C.’s clock ticks, one thing’s clear: In the shutdown theater, yesterday’s words are today’s weapons. Jeffries’ montage mishap may fade, but the fight for America’s checkbook – and conscience – is just heating up.