Jeffries meets Kushner as Democrats eye midterm gains

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries met with Jared Kushner in recent weeks, a person familiar with the meeting said, the latest sign that some people close to President Donald Trump are preparing for Democrats to win at least one chamber of Congress in November.

The person, who was granted anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter, confirmed the meeting. The New York Times first reported it.

Jeffries did not directly address the Kushner meeting in a statement to CNBC. He said Democrats would keep pressing the Trump administration on the cost of living. “The affordability crisis is not a hoax and nothing short of transformational policy change is acceptable,” he said.

Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and a senior advisor in the first term, did not take a government role after Trump's 2024 reelection. He has acted as an outside negotiator on several foreign-policy matters.

The White House did not comment.

According to the Times, the meeting was a “catch-up.” Kushner suggested Jeffries meet with White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, the person familiar confirmed. The two also discussed housing, immigration and affordability as potential areas of compromise, the Times reported.

Jeffries' statement suggested Democrats would work with Republicans only on their own terms if they win the majority. “To stop the madness, we have repeatedly made clear that an extremist approach will not work and will be met with forceful opposition,” he said.

The timing points to a calculation within Trump's orbit that the GOP could lose its grip on Washington. The midterms are less than three months away. Democrats lead Republicans by more than six points on the generic ballot.Stock market analysis has shown that political uncertainty can weigh on sectors tied to fiscal policy.

Jeffries, minority leader since 2023, would likely become speaker if Democrats take the House. A Democratic win would also block large legislative pushes that lack bipartisan support and could complicate a 2026 debt-ceiling increase if it is not resolved this year.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, told Fox News that Kushner is a “smart guy” who will “hedge his bets.” He expressed confidence that Republicans would hold their slim majority. “Our base is going to turn out, and we're going to hold the House Republican majority,” Johnson said.