After lying low from cable TV in 2024, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is returning to the airwaves.
Why it matters: Signalgate and President Trump’s tariffs have given Schumer a chance to show some fight after he infuriated the Democratic base last month by voting to avoid a government shutdown.
- đź“ş Schumer appeared on CNN, MSNBC, ABC and NBC at least 10 times since early March to pummel Trump and make the case for himself as Senate Democratic leader.
- “I have the full support of my caucus. … Democrats are united,” Schumer said Tuesday on CNN.
Zoom in: Schumer’s team has also increased the rate of his public press events on Capitol Hill over the last month, mainly press conferences bashing the Trump administration and GOP agenda.
- The on-again, off-again tariffs provoked enough GOP infighting to pull the spotlight away from Democratic infighting.
- “They’re busy fighting with each other because their programs are so unpopular,” Schumer gleefully said at a press conference on Tuesday.
Between the lines: When pressed about his leadership position, Schumer argues Democrats have united around their opposition to Trump.
- “If we keep united and keep our focus trained on Trump, we can certainly bring down his popularity and make those Republicans who vote with him pay that political price,” Schumer said when asked about his leadership position on MSNBC last week.