Senate Democrats won’t let Trump appoint ‘right winger’ to Supreme Court, Schumer vows

WASHINGTON — Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer has vowed that Democrats will not allow President Donald Trump to appoint “a right-winger” to the Supreme Court once they take power, raising the possibility that his party could block a presidential nominee if there is a vacancy in the next two years.

In an interview with The Associated Press on Thursday, Schumer did not say whether he would maintain a Supreme Court vacancy before the next presidential election, as former Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell did it in 2016. But he said Democrats “won’t allow shitty nominees” to be confirmed to the Supreme Court — or to the lower courts or to Trump’s Cabinet.

“At the end of the day, we’re not going to allow a right winger to get on the field,” Schumer said.

Schumer’s commitment came two days after Democrats won a decisive majority in the Senate in the midterm elections — a feat few predicted a year ago, when Schumer faced intense criticism of progressives Within his party and in the Senate, Republicans were betting that a favorable map and Trump’s support would help them retain power.

Although there is still frustration with Schumer in some corners of the party, the New Yorker is should be easily re-elected as head of his caucus after leading them to victories in Republican-leaning states across the country. Democrats could have as many as 56 Senate seats if they win. Mississippi And Alaskawho have still not qualified as a “sustainable majority,” predicted Schumer, who took 20 years off the job because he was directly or indirectly in charge of his party’s Senate election campaign.

With so many seats, Schumer is betting that “this isn’t a simple turnaround in the Senate.” And the party will have the power not only to reject any of Trump’s nominees, forcing him to seek more moderate choices, but also to end the war in Iran and change policies he was unable to counter in the minority.

Faced with divided government, Schumer says focus will be on costs

Schumer says the party’s platform will center on lowering prices, as well as five issues they have focused on in the minority: health care, housing, Trump’s tariffs, child care and lowering energy bills. He said Democrats would try to ban federal elected officials from trading stocks and limit costs to consumers related to data center expansion.

Democrats also want to investigate Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids across the country and scrutinize the Trump administrationwhich he says is “by far the most corrupt administration in American history.”

But Schumer won’t go into detail or how he plans to get around Trump — who posted a photo of a red hat with the word “veto” in large letters on election night.

Beyond Trump, Schumer will also have to navigate his own caucus, including progressives who have criticized him and freshmen who won red states and would not commit to supporting him as party leader during their campaigns. And to pass a law, he will still have to win the support of the Republicans.

He predicts that Republicans will suffer more losses “and continue to follow Trump over the cliff” if they don’t work with Democrats in a bipartisan way.

But it won’t be easy. Schumer would not say whether he would try to eliminate the filibuster, which he I tried and failed when he was majority leader during President Joe Biden’s term, to allow Democrats to pass laws with a simple majority instead of 60 votes.

“You have to focus on getting things done,” he says. “That’s all I’m saying.”

Asked if he would support a third Trump indictment After Trump was impeached and acquitted twice in his first term, Schumer responds that he would support an impeachment of the defense secretary Pete Hegsethan effort that House lawmakers have already launched.

And Trump? “It’s up to the House,” Schumer said.

The elections are two decades in the making

Schumer first led his party’s campaign arm in the 2006 cycle and has competed in every election since then, with mixed results.

He attributes this year’s victories to good candidates and a focus on local issues in Republican states — the effect of Trump’s tariffs on farms in Iowa, where Democrats Josh Turek won, Trump’s war against Canada in Maine, where Democrats Troy Jackson defeated Republican Sen. Susan Collins and Ohio Data Centers, where former Sen. Sherrod Brown won after losing his seat two years ago to Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno.

Still, the party’s focus on cost-cutting was “a message that resonated everywhere,” he said. “This is a big difference from the past.”

The Democrats who won weren’t all his recruits — in Michigan, Democrat Abdoul El-Sayed represents the progressive wing of the party and defeated Schumer’s original choice for the seat, Haley Stevens, in the primary. But Schumer invested $67 million in this race to help El-Sayed and the two “talk regularly,” he said.

Schumer’s future unclear

Even with his winning record this year, it remains unclear how long he will remain in power – and how long the party will support him as some call for a new generation of leaders. He is up for re-election in 2028 and he will not say whether he will run again for a sixth term.

“I’m focused on 2027,” said Schumer, who became the party’s Senate leader in 2015.

Senators in his caucus support him, but many are also pushing for change as they enter a new era of power.

The senator from Maryland. Chris Van Hollena potential candidate for the 2028 presidential nomination who has not committed to supporting Schumer, said in an AP interview Wednesday that Democrats need to have an “open and honest discussion” about the next leader.

Vermont Sen. Peter Welch said in a separate interview that Schumer “needs to adjust and open things up and take into account the criticism of our efforts.”

Still, Welch said, there is no indication of a leadership challenge. “Schumer has done an incredible job in this campaign,” he said.

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Associated Press writers Joey Cappelletti and Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report.