House Democratic Leader Jeffries Meets Privately With Trump Adviser Kushner

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries met privately with Jared Kushner, President Trump's son-in-law and special envoy, in Manhattan in recent weeks to discuss potential areas of bipartisan collaboration, according to reporting by The New York Times, which cited five sources with knowledge of the meeting. The gathering, arranged in a meeting space offered by a mutual friend, marked an unusual alignment between the top House Democrat and a close Trump confidant. According to two sources with knowledge of the meeting, Jeffries and Kushner discussed housing, immigration, and the high cost of living. No details about the timing or specific proposals discussed were disclosed by the sources cited in the Times reporting. The two men have a prior record of collaboration. Jeffries signed on as a co-sponsor of the First Step Act, a criminal justice reform bill that Kushner championed during Trump's first term. The bill was signed into law in 2018. Kushner currently serves as special envoy for peace missions, focused largely on the Middle East and the Russia-Ukraine war, alongside fellow special envoy Steve Witkoff. Jeffries, D-N.Y., has led the House Democratic caucus and would be positioned to become speaker if Democrats regain the House majority in November. In a statement issued Sunday, Jeffries said the Trump administration has adopted a "my-way-or-the-highway approach" that Democrats have made clear "will not work and will be met with forceful opposition." He added that in every conversation with the Trump administration, Democrats will press that "the affordability crisis is not a hoax and nothing short of transformational policy change is acceptable." Jeffries stated: "We are fighting for an affordable America. The question is whether Republicans will join us." The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the meeting. NBC News first reported the story after The New York Times broke the news.