Schiff Has a Wake-Up Call About the Democratic Party After Being Robbed
California Senator Adam Schiff recently shared a moment of personal clarity regarding his party’s policies, stemming from a robbery he experienced while visiting San Francisco a couple of years ago.
Appearing on HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, Schiff—who played a central role in promoting the since-debunked “Trump-Russia collusion” claims—admitted that Democrats could be vulnerable in the traditionally liberal state. He cited a recent poll showing that half of Californians might consider voting for a Republican governor in the upcoming 2026 election.
Acknowledging public frustration with crime rates, Schiff distanced himself from progressive criminal justice policies he has long supported.
“So we’re going to have to change how we do business in California. We’re going to have to address people’s legitimate concerns about crime,” he said, signaling a shift in his stance.
Schiff recalled a personal incident in South San Francisco that highlighted the problem for him. “I was in South San Francisco two years ago after I had an experience in the city that all too many people had when my luggage was stolen out of my car,” he explained. “They tell you don’t ever leave your luggage in the car. I never do until the one time I did. And of course it got stolen.”
California has faced a surge in coordinated retail thefts, often carried out by groups resembling flash mobs. The rise in these incidents has coincided with reduced penalties for thefts under $950.
During the interview, Schiff also recounted a visit to a local Target store. As Maher teased, “You went there by yourself, not an assistant?” Schiff admitted, “I uh… I think I went there… well yes, I had somebody drop me off at the store,” prompting laughter from the audience.
“Well, he was honest in admitting it, right?” Maher joked.
Schiff said even basic shopping was made difficult due to security measures. “The cashier was hard to find” just to unlock regular items like shampoo, he said.
He continued: “So that’s one thing. And then I get to the cashier. The cashier asked me if I wanted one of those Target bags with a little bullseye on it. And I said, ‘yes, that Target bag is going to be my luggage for the next two days.’”
He then shared a blunt comment from the cashier: “And she asked me what happened. And I told her and she basically said in not so many words that Democrats are a***oles.”
Schiff reflected, “And I thought, you know, if the cashier in South San Francisco at 10 o’clock at night believes that Democrats are a***oles because the shampoo is locked up and my stuff got stolen out of the trunk, we’ve got a major problem that we have to address.”
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Earlier in the month, Schiff also voiced disappointment in how his party has responded to President Donald Trump. Speaking with ABC’s Jonathan Karl, he criticized the Democrats for failing to present a unified front during the State of the Union.
“I think the lack of a coordinated response in the State of the Union was a mistake,” he said, “and frankly, it took the focus off of where it should have been, which is on the fact that the president spoke for an hour and 40 minutes and had nothing to say about what he would do to bring down costs for American families that were watching that lengthy address, sitting at the kitchen table hoping he would offer something to help them afford a new home or pay their rent, afford health care, or afford child care.”
Schiff also responded to comments from fellow Democrat, Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman, who had criticized the party’s performance as “a sad cavalcade of self-owns and unhinged petulance.”
“They’re destroying the economy, and they’re making it harder and harder for Americans to afford things,” Schiff said. “That’s where we need to keep the focus, that’s why we lost the last election, because we weren’t laser-focused on the high cost of living and what they’re doing now is just making it so much worse,” he claimed—though recent economic data challenges this assertion.