Jeffries Says Trump Should Sit Down With Dems Before Asia Trip

House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries talked about the ongoing government shutdown, the increases to Affordable Care Act premiums and where he stands in the upcoming New York City mayoral race in a wide-ranging conversation with Bloomberg's David Gura.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries teased a public endorsement in the hotly contested New York City mayor’s race in coming days, praising Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani’s commitment to leaving the current police commissioner in place.

The top House Democrat, a Brooklyn native, said that Mamdani took a “strong step” in Wednesday night’s debate by saying he would retain Jessica Tisch to lead the Police Department, if elected. Jeffries has avoided weighing in on the race for months but promised an endorsement before early voting starts on Saturday.

“I think that probably will provide a lot of comfort to the people throughout the city of New York. She’s done a great job,” Jeffries said of Tisch during a Thursday interview with Bloomberg’s Big Take Podcast.

Tisch, a member of a prominent and wealthy New York family and long-time city official, was named commissioner by Mayor Eric Adams last November. Her stewardship of the department has been seen as a bright spot in an administration tainted by scandal.

Under Tisch’s tenure, violent crime and shootings have declined, according to department data. In August, major crime in the five boroughs was down 6.7% compared to the same period last year, with shooting episodes and numbers of shooting victims falling to “historically low” levels in the first eight months of the year, according to the data.

A Quinnipiac Poll from September showed Tisch, the former head of the city’s Sanitation Department, is a rare public figure who has high approval ratings among both Republicans and Democrats, in a polarized political environment.

Jeffries, who said he plans to speak with Mamdani on Thursday and Friday, criticized the nominee’s foreign policy stances while praising his “relentless focus on affordability.”

“It’s the right objective, but he’s got to navigate a treacherous governmental terrain in terms of the city, state and most significantly the federal government,” Jeffries said. “It’s clear that Donald Trump has it out for Democratic-led cities across the country, and we’ve got to be prepared.”

Polls show Mamdani, a state assemblyman, as the frontrunner against former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, running as an independent, and Republican Curtis Sliwa, the founder of the Guardian Angels anti-crime group.

Jeffries said he was prepared to make an endorsement weeks ago that but the government shutdown got in the way. His endorsement could open a path for other Democrats to weigh in.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul, a centrist, endorsed Mamdani, immediately drawing criticism from fellow Democrats, including the chair of the state party, Jay Jacobs. Representatives Tom Suozzi and Laura Gillen, two other moderate New York Democrats from swing districts, have been critical of Mamdani.

National party leaders have been slow to endorse the 34-year-old democratic socialist. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, another New York Democrat, has so far declined to say whether he would back the mayoral nominee.

But Mamdani has the support of progressives, like Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat representing parts of Bronx and Queens, and Senator Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent. Both lawmakers have rallied alongside Mamdani during his campaign.

An October AARP New York poll found that 43% of likely voters support Mamdani, compared to roughly 30% who back Cuomo and 19% who back Sliwa.

Mamdani has campaigned on providing relief for working and middle class New Yorkers beset by high costs, calling for the freezing of rents on stabilized apartments and building more affordable housing. He has also proposed free childcare as well as city-owned grocery stores as a s

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