Jeffries says Americans ‘aren't interested in bending the knee to a wannabe king’

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said Sunday that Americans “aren’t interested in bending the knee to a wannabe king,” referring to President Trump.

“Donald Trump has learned an important lesson, the American people aren’t interested in bending the knee to a wannabe king,” Jeffries said on CNN’s “State of the Union” to the outlet’s Dana Bash.

“It’s the reason why Donald Trump actually is the most unpopular president at this point of a presidency in American history,” he added.

The president’s approval rating currently sits at 45.9 percent in the Decision Desk/The Hill polling average, with 51.7 percent in the average not backing the president. The president recently went through consistent drops in his approval ratings, but his approval rating in the Decision Desk/The Hill average now sits above 2 points higher than it was at the start of May.

Trump and his administration have taken swift action on issues such as how the federal government functions, immigration, trade policy, and LGBTQ rights in his first few months since returning to Washington. The action has drawn pushback from those on the American left and Democrats, but Democrats have also been criticized for a perceived lack of response to Trump administration moves.

“Democrats, of course, are the party that is determined to make life more affordable for everyday Americans, for hardworking American taxpayers,” Jeffries said Sunday.

Republican strategist Karl Rove said in a recent opinion piece for The Wall Street Journal that President Trump’s tariff rhetoric could cost the GOP its majorities in Congress.

“Republicans should hope the president really believes in reciprocity—the policy that if countries lower their tariffs, we’ll lower ours. He should have confidence that America can compete if the playing field is level,” he added.

The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment.