Hakeem Jeffries addresses Democratic Party divisions, says Trump is the bigger issue

U.S. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., speaks astatine a quality league astatine the U.S. Capitol successful Washington, June 24. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images hide caption

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Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries is making the lawsuit for enactment unity arsenic this year's superior play exposes ideological divisions among Democrats.

Speaking with Morning Edition on Friday, Jeffries was asked doubly by NPR's Michel Martin however helium would enactment with candidates who defeated Democrats helium had backed successful New York primaries. Each time, Jeffries returned to President Donald Trump and the GOP agenda, saying Democrats are focused connected flipping Republican-held seats successful November, lowering costs and opposing what helium called "MAGA extremism." He added that the House Democratic caucus has agelong included progressives, New Democrats and Blue Dogs.

"I've worked with benignant of the ideologically divers radical of members up until this constituent and volition proceed to bash so," Jeffries said.

Jeffries criticized Trump's determination to participate the struggle successful the Middle East, saying House Democrats reason what helium called the president's "war of choice."

In his speech with Martin, Jeffries besides predicted a bipartisan lodging affordability measure awaiting Trump's enactment volition go instrumentality and accused the medication of wasting FBI resources by revisiting claims astir the 2020 election.

Listen to the afloat unrecorded speech by clicking the play fastener above.

The integer mentation was written by Majd Al-Waheidi and edited by Treye Green.