President Donald Trump has suggested that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer may retire rather than face a primary election defeat due to his declining poll numbers. These comments were made against the backdrop of a prolonged government shutdown that has now entered its ninth day, with Republicans accusing Democrats of holding the federal government hostage. Trump emphasized that other Democratic leaders, such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, are more open to negotiations, suggesting that Schumer might not have the same appeal in a primary. The potential for a primary challenge from Ocasio-Cortez adds another layer to the political tensions within the Democratic Party.
The White House has been at odds with Congressional Democrats over the lapse in funding leading to a government shutdown. While Republicans claim that Democrats were the ones who started the shutdown because they’ve failed to back a stopgap funding bill, Democrats have pinned the blame on Republicans who control both the House and Senate. Schumer, in particular, has come under fire from the White House, especially after Schumer told Punchbowl News that conditions improve for Democrats each day the shutdown continues.
“Every day gets better for us,” Schumer told the outlet Wednesday. In response, Trump said that Schumer was not acting on behalf of the American people. “This is a confession that he’s acting not to serve the people, but to serve the partisan interests of his party,” Trump said at the Cabinet meeting. Meanwhile, the GOP has accused Schumer of forcing the shutdown to appease the ‘Marxist flank’ within the Democratic Party, citing the possibility of a primary challenge from Ocasio-Cortez, who is rumored to be laying the groundwork for a potential presidential run in 2028.