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On the one hand, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) that he had to cave to Trump on the CR because a government shutdown would have been much worse for the country, but on the other hand, Schumer also intends to fight Trump and make him the quickest lame duck in history.
Transcript of Schumer on Meet The Press:
KRISTEN WELKER:
To that point – yeah. To that point, I mean, some Democrats are saying they want leadership to show more fight in this moment. They think that’s what’s required. You were, of course, instrumental in urging President Biden to drop out of the 2024 race when he himself wasn’t convinced. I’ve had conversations with Democrats, Leader Schumer, who say this moment feels very similar. Are you making the same mistake that President Biden did?
SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER:
No, absolutely not. I did this out of conviction. And, look, in my caucus, we have a disagreement as to, you know, some people voted one way, some people voted the other. But we’ve all agreed to respect each other because each side saw why the other side felt so strongly about it. And our caucus is united in fighting Donald Trump every step of the way. Our goal, our plan, which we’re united on, is to make Donald Trump the quickest lame duck in modern history by showing how bad his policies are. He represents the oligarchs, as I said. He’s hurting average people in every way. And we are – through oversight hearings, we’re exposing what he’s doing, through the courts, which I mentioned, we’ve had some real success in, through legislation, and through organizing in all the districts throughout the country so that I believe, that when — because the Republicans are already nervous. You know, a lot of them said, “Don’t hold town hall meetings.” I believe by 2026 the Republicans in the House and Senate will feel like they’re rats on a sinking ship because we have so gone after Trump and all the horrible things he’s doing. And they will know it, see it, hate it, and act on it.
KRISTEN WELKER:
Let me ask you about something Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Tuesday about your decision. She said, quote, “I myself don’t give away anything for nothing. And I think that’s what happened the other day.” Do you acknowledge that Democrats didn’t get anything in this fight, Leader Schumer?
SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER:
Well, what we got, at the end of the day, is avoiding the horror of a shutdown. There was no leverage point that we could’ve — we could’ve asked for things, they just would’ve said no. And because they control — let’s not forget, they control the House and Senate.
Sen. Schumer also claimed that a Republican senator close to Trump told him that the White House planned to keep the government closed for 6-9 months until federal workers were fired and they could shut programs down.
Schumer didn’t name this Republican senator and he has no idea if this was true. Given the way the Trump administration lies, nothing should be assumed as fact, but it was enough to scare Schumer.
This brings us to the big problem. How can Democrats trust Schumer to fight Donald Trump when he has already caved to Trump?
I have no doubt that Schumer wants to make Trump a lame duck, but if he is going to get scared by threats, Democrats won’t have a leg to stand on.
Chuck Schumer will get a chance to prove that he is willing to fight on the debt ceiling and the government funding bill in September.
Democrats are going to have to take risks to beat Trump, and they can’t have leadership that lies or threats will move.
What do you think of Chuck Schumer’s comments? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
