Hakeem Jeffries Tells New Congress That Democrats Will Put ‘Maturity Over Mar-a-Lago’ in Rousing Speech as GOP Sits Quietly

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) delivered a rousing speech to the newly-seated House of Representatives in the early hours of Saturday morning.

The chamber had just elected Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) speaker of the House on the 15th vote held since Tuesday. It was the first time since 1923 that the House failed to elect a speaker on the first ballot.

Jeffries succeeds Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) as leader of the Democrats. Pelosi was speaker in the last Congress, and the performative duty of handing the gavel to McCarthy fell to him.

Before giving the reins to the next speaker, Jeffries delivered a rousing speech that took several not-so-veiled shots at Republicans as they sat and listened.

“We do extend our hand of partnership to you and want to make clear that we extend and intend to try to find common ground whenever and wherever possible on behalf of the American people,” Jeffries said to applause. “Not as Democrats, not as Republicans, not as independents, but as Americans. But I also want to make clear that we will never compromise our principles.”

Jeffries then threw shade at Republicans by rattling off a series of contrasts, one of which was putting “maturity over Mar-a-Lago,” where former President Donald Trump resides in Palm Beach, Florida:

House Democrats will always put American values over autocracy, benevolence over bigotry, the Constitution over the cult, democracy over demagogues, economic opportunity over extremism, freedom over fascism, governing over gaslighting, hopefulness over hatred, inclusion over isolation, justice over judicial overreach, knowledge over kangaroo courts, liberty over limitation, maturity over Mar-a-Lago, normalcy over negativity, opportunity over obstruction, people over politics, quality of life issues over QAnon, reason over racism, substance over slander, triumph over tyranny, understanding over ugliness, voting rights over voter suppression, working families over the well-connected, xenial over xenophobia, “Yes we can” over “You can do it,” and zealous representation over zero-sum confrontation.

We will always do the right thing by the American people, so let us not grow weary of doing good for the American people who will reap the benefit of the harvest if we do not give up. God bless you, God Bless the house, and God bless the United States of America.

Shortly thereafter, Jeffries handed the gavel to McCarthy, who later credited Trump with his speakership victory.

Watch above via CNN.

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