Jeffries, on track to be first Black House speaker, promises to go after Trump-era corruption

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is on track to become speaker of the House in the new Congress, told supporters. — AFP pic

First Published: Wednesday, 04 Nov 2026 1:24 PM MYT

WASHINGTON, Nov 4 — The top Democrat in the US House of Representatives vowed yesterday he would use his expected majority to go after corruption, in an election when alleged grift by President Donald Trump has been top of voters' minds.

"We're going to bring accountability to those who have visited unprecedented corruption on this country," House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who is on track to become speaker of the House in the new Congress, told supporters.

"Because if you have people in high office who are so focused on enriching themselves, their family members, their friends, or their donors, then they're not focused on making life better for the American people."

Jeffries, who would become the first Black speaker of the House, hailed what appears to be a sweeping victory by his party in midterm elections where once-reliable Republican seats have fallen to Democrats.

"The American people have spoken and made clear they've had enough of the extremism, enough of the corruption," he said.

"They want a Congress that's going to deliver for the American people, and that is exactly what House Democrats will do."

Democrats have focused much of their campaign on affordability, an issue that has roundly resonated with an electorate stung by high gas prices and persistent inflation, driven in part by Trump's erratic tariff policies and the US war on Iran.

That message appears to have broken through across the country, despite massive spending by Republican donors like world's richest man Elon Musk, who have pumped hundreds of millions of dollars into adverting campaigns supporting unpopular candidates.

"This is a change election, and we understand as House Democrats, that we need to deliver dramatic change," Jeffries said.

"Things are broken. We need a Congress that puts the American people first. The wealthy, the well-off, and the well-connected tried to buy this election, the American people have responded in a resounding way and made clear that America is not for sale." — AFP