WASHINGTON — Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer is vowing that Democrats will not allow President Donald Trump to put “a right-winger” on 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 would not say if he would hold a Supreme Court vacancy open until after the next presidential election, as former Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell did in 2016. But he said that Democrats are "not going to allow any crappy nominees" to be confirmed to the Supreme Court — or to the lower courts or Trump's Cabinet, either.
“The bottom line is we’re not going to allow a right-winger on the court,” Schumer said.
Schumer's pledge came two days after Democrats won a decisive Senate majority in the midterm elections — a feat few predicted a year ago, when Schumer was facing intense criticism from progressives within his party and Senate Republicans were betting that a favorable map and backing from Trump would help them keep power.
While there is still frustration with Schumer in some corners of the party, the New Yorker is expected to easily be reelected as leader by his caucus after leading them to wins in Republican-leaning states across the country. Democrats could have as many as 56 seats in the Senate if they win Mississippi and Alaska, which still have not been called — "a durable majority," Schumer predicts, that has been 20 years in the making as he has been directly or indirectly in charge of his party's Senate campaign operation.
With so many seats, Schumer is betting that “it’s not just a flip of the Senate once.” 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 halt the Iran war and alter policies that they have been unable to counter in the minority.
Navigating divided government, Schumer says focus will be on costs
Schumer says the party's agenda will center around lowering prices, along with five issues that they have focused on in the minority — healthcare, housing, Trump's tariffs, childcare and lowering energy bills. Democrats also want to investigate Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids across the country and scrutinize the Trump administration, which he says is the "most corrupted administration by far in American history."
But Schumer would not get into specifics, or how he plans to get around Trump — who posted a picture 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 incoming freshman who won red states and would not commit to supporting him for leader during their campaigns. And to pass any legislation, he will still have to win Republican support as well.
He predicts that Republicans will suffer more losses “and keep following Trump over the cliff” if they don't work with Democrats in a bipartisan way.
But that will not be easy. Schumer would not say if he would try and eliminate the filibuster, which he tried and failed to do when he was majority leader during President Joe Biden's term, to allow Democrats to pass legislation with a simple majority instead of 60 votes.
“The focus has got to be on getting things done,” he says. “That’s all I am saying.”
Asked if he would support a third Trump impeachment after Trump was impeached and acquitted twice during his first term, Schumer responds that he would support an impeachment of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, an effort that House lawmakers have already launched.
And Trump? “That’s up to the House,” Schumer said.
Election wins two decades in the making
Schumer first led his party’s campaign arm in the 2006 cycle and has had a hand in every election since then, with mixed results.
He attributes this year's wins to his own candidate recruitment and a focus on local issues in Republican states — the effect of Trump's tariffs on farms in Iowa, where Democrat Josh Turek won, Trump's war with Canada in Maine, where Democrat Troy Jackson beat Republican Sen. Susan Collins, and data centers in Ohio, where former Sen. Sherrod Brown won after losing his seat two years ago to Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno.
Still, the party's focus on lowering costs was “a message that resonated everywhere,” he says. “That’s a big difference than in the past.”
The Democrats who won were not all his recruits — in Michigan, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed represents the progressive wing of the party and beat Schumer's original choice for the seat, Haley Stevens, in the primary. But Schumer poured $67 million into that race to help El-Sayed and the two "talk regularly," he said.
Schumer's future is unclear
Even with his winning record this year, it is still unclear how long he will stay in power — and how long the party will support him as some call for a new generation of leadership. He is up for reelection in 2028, and he won’t say if he’ll 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 are sticking by him, but many are also agitating for change as they enter a new era of power.
Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen, a potential contender for the 2028 presidential nomination who has not committed to supporting Schumer, said in an interview with the AP on 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 “has to adjust and open things up and take into account the criticism of our efforts.”
Still, Welch said, there’s no indication of a leadership challenge. “Schumer did an incredible job on this campaign,” he said.
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Associated Press writers Joey Cappelletti and Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report.