Schumer Reveals His Future Plans Amid Calls To Step Down
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) once again faced pressure last week to step down and make way for younger, more progressive leadership. Nevertheless, he made it clear he has no plans to leave.
“I am staying put, and I’m fighting the fight every day, as is our caucus, in a united and successful way,” Schumer said during an appearance on CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday. “We’re showing America how bad Trump is, and showing that Republicans who embrace Trump do so at their peril.”
Calls for generational change were amplified when Sen. Dick Durbin, the Senate’s second-ranking Democrat, announced his retirement after 44 years, declaring it was time to “pass the torch.” The Daily Beast also noted that outgoing Sen. Gary Peters echoed the same sentiment in his February retirement announcement.
“I always knew there would come a time to pass the torch to the next generation of public servants and allow them the opportunity to bring fresh energy and ideas to our nation’s capital,” Peters stated.
Back in March, Schumer had already faced similar demands to step aside, following his decision not to force a government shutdown over a Trump-supported funding bill. Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet, reacting to frustration from constituents, had urged Democrats to “have future conversations” about leadership—a call he renewed last week.
WATCH:
During an interview with Semafor, Bennet controversially claimed that “[Trump is] the first president to strip us of a fundamental civil right since Reconstruction," though he failed to specify which right was allegedly taken away, while also overlooking the Biden administration’s efforts to prosecute Trump, Biden’s political rival.
Despite the mounting criticisms, Schumer is standing firm.
“Sometimes when you’re a leader, you have to do things to avoid a real danger that might come down the curve,” Schumer explained last month. “And I did it out of pure conviction as to what a leader should do and what the right thing for America and my party was. People disagree.”
Schumer, a New York Democrat, has also kept the door open to potentially impeaching Trump again, a move that would undoubtedly provoke fierce backlash from Republicans and their voter base.
During his CNN interview, anchor Dana Bash questioned him on this point, noting that progressive Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) had voiced strong support for Trump's impeachment.
“Your colleague from Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff told voters at a town hall that he ‘strongly’ agrees that President Trump should be impeached. Do you agree with him? Would that be a priority if Democrats were to take back Congress?” Bash asked.
“Well, look, right now, President Trump is violating rule of law in every way,” Schumer asserted. “We’re fighting him every single day in every way. And our goal is to show the American people over and over again, whether it’s the economy, whether it’s tariffs, whether it’s Russia and overseas, and whether it’s rule of law, how bad he is.
“And two years is too far away to predict. Our job is day to day to day to show who Trump is, what he is doing. And it’s having an effect,” he added, even as polls indicate Trump’s policy positions remain popular with many Americans, while Democrats are polling at their lowest levels — in the high twenties — in nearly a century.
When Schumer began referencing polls, Bash pressed him, saying, “But you’re not ruling out … You’re not saying no?”
Schumer declined to commit either way. “Look, it’s too far away to even judge,” he responded.
It’s worth recalling that Trump was impeached twice during his first term—once over Ukraine and once over January 6—by a Democrat-led House. However, both impeachment efforts ultimately failed, resulting in acquittal by the Republican-controlled Senate.