President Trump attacked House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Sunday, calling for his impeachment after Jeffries characterized the Supreme Court's conservative majority as "illegitimate" in response to a recent voting rights ruling. Trump posted on Truth Social that Jeffries, whom he described as having low intelligence, should face removal from office, questioning why Republicans had not initiated proceedings. "I got impeached for A PERFECT PHONE CALL. Where are you Republicans? Why not get it started?" Trump wrote.
Jeffries responded the same day on X with a brief post reading "Jeffries Derangement Syndrome," an apparent reference to a phrase Trump has used to describe critics who oppose him. Legal experts and congressional resources indicate that members of Congress are unlikely to be subject to impeachment, a power constitutionally reserved for removing the president and federal judges.
The conflict stems from Jeffries's comments last week following a 6-3 Supreme Court decision that declared Louisiana's creation of a second majority-Black congressional district an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. The ruling weakened a central provision of the Voting Rights Act by limiting its application in certain redistricting cases. At a press conference, Jeffries said the decision was "unacceptable" and "designed to undermine the ability of communities of color all across this country to elect their candidate of choice."
Justice Samuel Alito, writing for the majority, characterized the decision as an "update" to the framework governing Voting Rights Act cases rather than an elimination of the provision itself. Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act has historically enabled advocacy groups to force the creation of additional majority-minority districts, a mechanism the court's decision restricted.
Jeffries's full statement challenged the court's legitimacy while pledging continued opposition to the ruling. "Today's decision by this illegitimate Supreme Court majority strikes a blow against the Voting Rights Act," he said, adding that Democrats would "fight back" against the outcome.
