Tuesday’s PBS News Hour featured yet another fawn-a-thon interview with Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), one of the program’s most popular guests, who is at least expected to be elected House Speaker in January. Co-anchor Amna Nawaz gave Jeffries a long leash when it came to insulting opposing Trump officials and congressional Republicans, while offering no criticism of Jeffries’ harsh language.
Yet Republicans have been accused by Nawaz of authoritarianism and fostering violence for issuing similar verbal attacks on Democrats. In November 2023, Nawaz hosted leftist professor Ruth Ben-Ghiat of NYU to scaremonger about Trump’s echoes of “authoritarian leaders” based on then-ex president Trump’s intemperate remarks in a speech, under the online PBS headline “Trump's ramped-up rhetoric raises new concerns about violence and authoritarianism.”
What Trump said back then: “We will root out the communists, Marxists, fascists, and the radical left thugs that live like vermin within the confines of our country, that lie and steal and cheat on elections, and will do anything possible, they will do anything, whether legally or illegally, to destroy America and to destroy the American dream.”
For that, Ben-Ghiat compared Trump to “fascists and authoritarians” and hinted America might not have any more elections. We in fact did have more elections, and in the most recent one, the supposedly “authoritarian” party lost.
None of that previous hysteria greeted Rep. Hakeem Jeffries as he unloaded smears against Republicans. Nawaz only questioned whether Jeffries could bring himself to work with such a person as Stephen Miller.
Nawaz: I'm sure you have heard President Trump also say after those sweeping Democratic wins that he would love to work with you and the incoming majority, particularly on something for immigration. He then promoted Stephen Miller, the man behind his hard-line immigration approach, to chief of staff. Yesterday, you called Mr. Miller a stone-cold racist. You said you have zero interest in working with that kind of individual. So what is one thing that you think you can prioritize getting done with this White House?
Nawaz offered up another long-time Jeffries target, Rep. Jim Jordan, and asked Jeffries if Jordan was worthy of his attention: "Jim Jordan has been elected the leader of the House Republicans. You a few years ago called him the poster child for MAGA extremism and a clear and present danger to our democracy. Do you still believe that's true? Can you work with him?”
PBS's Amna Nawaz to Hakeem Jeffries: “….Jim Jordan has been elected the leader of the House Republicans. You a few years ago called him the poster child for MAGA extremism and a clear and present danger to our democracy. Do you still believe that's true? Can you work with him?" https://t.co/NtnVkusTIt
— Clay Waters 🇮🇱 (@claywaters44) November 11, 2026
Eventually Nawaz addressed the elephant, or donkey, in the room:
Nawaz: ….It is widely expected that you are poised to make history as the first black speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. You know you face a number of detractors, though, and particularly among the incoming newly elected members. Lakesha Womack from North Carolina, for example, has said "I don't think this is a time for us to be moderate" when asked if she would back you as speaker. What is your message to those joining your caucus now who think that you are too moderate or too establishment to lead Democrats right now?
Laugh over the idea that Jeffries is “too moderate” to lead the Democrats, and laugh at the idea that Womack should be judging anyone. She was narrowly elected despite facing a Class H felony charge in North Carolina for allegedly failing to return a rented 2019 Toyota Corolla to Budget Car Rental in October 2019 (valued at roughly $20,000).
But the News Hour, unlike the major networks, is taking the Democrats’ leadership selection struggle seriously. From another segment on Tuesday with congressional reporter Lisa Desjardins:
Nawaz: ….Among Senate Democrats, is Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer really at risk of losing his position?
Lisa Desjardins: ….Today we hear a lot of Democratic senators, even those who have been full-throated supporters of Schumer in the past, say they are not sure that he is bold enough. They are not sure that he has the vision that they saw in the election this year….part of the problem for him is the freshman senators that he helped elect. So far, six of them have said outright that they are opposed to him as leader. Two others have said they're not sure….This is a serious moment for him.
