WASHINGTON (AP) — Halfway through Donald Trump’s inaugural White House meeting with congressional leadership days before a government shutdown, the red hats appeared on the president’s desk.
“Trump 2028,” they said, situated across from the seated lawmakers, Vice President JD Vance and several untouched Diet Cokes.
House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries leaned over to Vance, himself a potential 2028 contender, and quipped, “Hey, bro, you got a problem with this?”
The room chuckled in response.
“It was the random-most thing in the world, because we’re sitting there, we’re having a serious conversation, and all of a sudden these two red hats appear,” Jeffries recalled later at the Capitol.
“It was all so unserious,” Jeffries said, describing a roving cameraman capturing the moment. “We were there for serious reasons that it wasn’t really a big part of, you know, the discussion. It was theatrics.”
The moment was vintage Trump –- grabbing the attention and seeking to throw negotiators off their game — but it also underscored the president’s regard for Congress, a coequal branch of the government, and in particular his opponents across the political aisle.
Another AI video from Trump on Truth Social, this time of his throwing a Trump 2028 hat onto Hakeem Jeffries’ head.
— Matt Novak (@paleofuture.bsky.social) October 2, 2025 at 11:41 PM
From historic first meeting to viral trolling
What was once was considered a historic occasion –- the president of the United States convening his first “big four” meeting of congressional leaders from the House and Senate –- was reduced to another viral souvenir of Trump trolling his opponent.
And after the more than hourlong session, Trump failed to strike a deal with the leaders to prevent a federal government closure.
Disclaimer
The information contained in South Florida Reporter is for general information purposes only.
The South Florida Reporter assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions in the contents of the Service.
In no event shall the South Florida Reporter be liable for any special, direct, indirect, consequential, or incidental damages or any damages whatsoever, whether in an action of contract, negligence or other tort, arising out of or in connection with the use of the Service or the contents of the Service. The Company reserves the right to make additions, deletions, or modifications to the contents of the Service at any time without prior notice.
The Company does not warrant that the Service is free of viruses or other harmful components
This article originally appeared here and was republished with permission.
![Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://southfloridareporter.com/the-oval-office-meeting-didnt-stop-a-shutdown-but-the-trump-2028-hats-and-a-sombrero-set-a-tone/&media=https://southfloridareporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Sombrero.webp&description=Halfway through Donald Trump’s inaugural White House meeting with congressional leadership, the red "Trump 2028" hats appeared on the president’s desk.){kind=link}