WASHINGTON – As the government shutdown stretched into its ninth day, President Donald Trump took swipes at top Democrats during a Cabinet meeting, saying "we really don't know who the hell is leading" them.

His insults included a suggestion that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, has more influence among Democrats in Congress than the party's official leadership, namely House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-New York.

"She's taking Hakeem Jeffries' place," he said. The president has been targeting Jeffries online with offensive and vulgar memes since the pair first had an unsuccessful sit-down meeting in the Oval Office just before the shutdown.

Trump also predicted that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, will retire before his reelection in 2028.

"Schumer's afraid that she's going to run against him," he said of Ocasio-Cortez.

Schumer, the head of Senate Democrats who has effectively held his party together since the shutdown began, has not said whether he has plans to retire in the coming years. Asked on CNN in April whether his caucus is due for a leadership change, he said, "I am focused on winning, as I have always been."

"I am staying put," he said.

Despite widespread speculation, Ocasio-Cortez has not said she is interested in running for Schumer's Senate seat. She has been serving in the House of Representatives as a prominent progressive voice since 2019.

"Nobody cares about some election years from now," she recently told NBC News. "They care about if their kids can get insulin, if they can put food on the table."

Zachary Schermele is a congressional reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach him by email at zschermele@usatoday.com. Follow him on X at @ZachSchermele and Bluesky at @zachschermele.bsky.social.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump says he doesn't know 'who the hell is leading' the Democrats

Reporting by Zachary Schermele, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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