On Thursday, the GOP-led Senate voted to overturn a Biden administration move that powered California&#8217;s green energy agenda for cars and trucks that 11 other states have <a href="https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/our-work/programs/advanced-clean-cars-program/states-have-adopted-californias-vehicle-regulations" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sought</a> to adopt.
Fifty Republicans and one Democrat <a href="https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1191/vote_119_1_00277.htm#position" target="_blank" rel="noopener">banded together</a> to revoke the Clean Air Act waiver the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) <a href="https://www.axios.com/2024/12/18/epa-california-electric-vehicles-waiver" target="_blank" rel="noopener">granted</a> in December to the Golden State that allowed it to proceed with a plan to ban the sale of new gas-powered light-duty vehicles by 2035.
Because the Republican-controlled House already <a href="https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2025114?Date=05%2F01%2F2025" target="_blank" rel="noopener">passed</a> the resolution of disapproval, the measure now heads to President Donald Trump. California has signaled that it is prepared to file a legal challenge.
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), who is the chairwoman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, spearheaded the effort in the upper chamber to repeal the waiver.
&#8220;The impact of California’s waiver would have been felt across the country, harming multiple sectors of our economy and costing hundreds of thousands of jobs in the process,&#8221; Capito said in a <a href="https://www.capito.senate.gov/news/press-releases/senate-passes-capito-resolution-to-end-californias-ev-mandate" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a>. &#8220;I’m proud to have led this effort to protect American workers and consumers from this radical and drastic policy.&#8221;
President Donald Trump weighed in on the issue during his presidential campaign at a rally in Saginaw, Michigan.
“When I&#8217;m president, no state in America will be permitted to ban gas-powered cars or trucks, and I guarantee it,&#8221; Trump said.
Senate Republicans used the Congressional Review Act (CRA), which allows bypassing a filibuster to undo regulations, to pass the resolution. Under this process, Lawmakers also voted to strike down waivers related to emissions for heavier-duty vehicles.
The Government Accountability Office (<a href="https://www.gao.gov/products/b-337179" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GAO</a>) and Senate <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/5233436-senate-parliamentarian-says-lawmakers-cant-overturn-california-car-rules-but-republicans-may-try-anyway/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">parliamentarian</a> advised that the waivers are not rules that qualify for CRA, but The Hill <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/5312952-thune-creates-procedure-ev-mandate/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> on how Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) used a series of procedural votes to alleviate concerns by some of his GOP colleagues.
On X, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) accused Republicans of trying to &#8220;appease the fossil fuel industry.&#8221; He also <a href="https://x.com/SenSchumer/status/1925290705502577129" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> they were &#8220;hijacking the CRA process in a way that’s never been done before&#8221; and warned: &#8220;What goes around when you’re in the majority comes around when you’re back in the minority.&#8221;
The one Democrat who joined with Republicans and spurned California was Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI).
&#8220;Today, I voted to prevent California and the states that follow its standard from effectively banning gas-powered cars by 2035,&#8221; she <a href="https://x.com/SenatorSlotkin/status/1925590423944257939" target="_blank" rel="noopener">declared</a> in a statement. &#8220;Michigan is the auto capital of the world, and as Michigan&#8217;s U.S. Senator, I have a special responsibility to stand up for the more than one million Michiganders whose livelihoods depend on the U.S. auto industry.&#8221;
California Attorney General Rob Bonta, a Democrat, <a href="https://x.com/AGRobBonta/status/1925624592481026347" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> his state was ready to fight in court.
&#8220;Since the Senate is caving to the Trump Admin’s demands, we will sue to protect California’s longstanding authority to maintain clean vehicle standards,&#8221; Bonta said. &#8220;President Trump may be playing partisan games with lives and good paying jobs on the line — but California won’t back down.&#8221;
Jayden Jelso contributed to this report.

Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV)

Republicans Set To Block California’s ‘Radical’ Gas Car Ban

Biden Administration

California

Carbon Emissions

Chuck Schumer

Congress

Electric cars

John Thune

Shelley Moore Capito

Transportation

U.S.

U.S. Senate

On Monday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) proposed legislation to discourage the Trump administration from receiving a roughly $400 million luxury aircraft known as the &#8220;Flying Palace&#8221; from Qatar and block money from being spent turning it into the next Air Force One.
Named the &#8220;Presidential Airlift Security Act of 2025,&#8221; the <a href="https://www.democrats.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/dav25917.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bill</a> would block the Department of Defense (DoD) from using funds allocated for fiscal years 2025 and 2026 to procure, modify, restore, or maintain aircraft previously owned by foreign governments or their representatives for presidential airlift purposes.
&#8220;Donald Trump has shown time and again — he will sell out the American people and the Presidency if it means filling his own pockets,&#8221; Schumer said in a <a href="https://www.democrats.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/following-the-largest-foreign-bribe-to-a-president-in-modern-history-leader-schumer-introduces-bill-to-prohibit-any-foreign-aircraft-from-being-used-as-air-force-one-retrofitting-and-constant-monitoring-of-qatari-plane-would-cost-american-taxpayers-billions-and-would-not-eliminate-all-catastrophic-risks-schumer-will-demand-vote-on-legislation-in-this-years-funding-bills-to-avoid-the-catastrophic_unimaginable-national-security-risks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a>. &#8220;Not only would it take billions of taxpayer dollars to even attempt to retrofit and secure this plane, but there’s absolutely no amount of modifications that can guarantee it will be secure. It is now on the Senate to prioritize our national security, protect Americans, and ensure that a foreign-owned plane never gets the call sign &#8216;Air Force One.'&#8221;
It was first <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-defends-400-million-flying-palace-offered-as-gift-from-qatar" target="_blank" rel="noopener">revealed</a> a little more than a week ago that President Donald Trump&#8217;s administration was in talks to obtain the Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet from the Qatari royal family. A wave of criticism, including from some who generally support Trump, ensued amid concerns about Qatar spending massive sums of money to gain influence in the United States and using its riches to bankroll the terrorist group Hamas and the Middle Eastern news powerhouse Al Jazeera. The oil-rich government also frequently invites politicians on state-funded junkets to the Middle East, where they are treated to all the luxuries that Qatar has to offer.
Schumer introduced his bill days after <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/schumer-moves-to-inflict-pain-on-trump-over-400-million-flying-palace-from-qatar" target="_blank" rel="noopener">placing</a> a hold on Trump&#8217;s political nominees for the Department of Justice (DOJ) until more clarity is given on the U.S. government&#8217;s plans to receive the jet. He also joined fellow Senate Democrats in <a href="https://www.schatz.senate.gov/news/press-releases/schatz-coons-lead-group-of-27-senators-in-introducing-resolution-to-condemn-400-million-airplane-gift-to-trump-from-qatar" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unveiling</a> a resolution to condemn the idea, citing an ABC News report with sources <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-administration-poised-accept-palace-sky-gift-trump/story?id=121680511" target="_blank" rel="noopener">claiming</a> the aircraft would be transferred to Trump&#8217;s presidential library foundation shortly before the president leaves office.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt <a href="https://x.com/RichSementa/status/1924471578454016103" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> reporters on Monday the plane is &#8220;not a personal donation or gift&#8221; to the president and &#8220;everyone who wrote that last week should go and correct their stories.&#8221; She also said the donation would be &#8220;accepted according to all legal and ethical obligations&#8221; and the plane would be &#8220;retrofitted to the highest of standards by the Department of Defense and the United States Air Force.&#8221;
Trump, who visited Qatar last week during a Middle East swing and <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2025/05/14/boeing-qatar-trump-plane-deal.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">attended</a> the signing ceremony for a deal in which Qatar Airways agreed to purchase up to 210 Boeing jets, dismissed the doubters in a <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114492082555622686" target="_blank" rel="noopener">post</a> on Truth Social.
&#8220;The Boeing 747 is being given to the United States Air Force/Department of Defense, NOT TO ME! It is a gift from a Nation, Qatar, that we have successfully defended for many years,&#8221; Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114503203859060399" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &#8220;It will be used by our Government as a temporary Air Force One, until such time as our new Boeings, which are very late on delivery, arrive. Why should our military, and therefore our taxpayers, be forced to pay hundreds of millions of Dollars when they can get it for FREE from a country that wants to reward us for a job well done. This big savings will be spent, instead, to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! Only a FOOL would not accept this gift on behalf of our Country. Thank you for your attention to this matter!&#8221;

U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY)

Schumer Unveils Bill To Stop Trump From Turning Qatari Jet Into Air Force One

Donald Trump

Politics

Qatar

In the face of Democrat resistance, the GOP-led Senate has managed to confirm President Donald Trump&#8217;s civilian nominees twice as fast as it did during the first Trump administration.
As of May 15, the upper chamber has confirmed 67 <a href="https://www.congress.gov/quick-search/nominations?wordsPhrases=&amp;wordVariants=on&amp;congressGroups%5B0%5D=0&amp;congresses%5B0%5D=119&amp;nomCivil=on&amp;pnNumbers=&amp;nomineeNames=&amp;positions=&amp;organizations=&amp;stateTerritories%5B0%5D=any&amp;nominationAction=99&amp;dates=datesReceivedInSenate&amp;dateOperator=equal&amp;startDate=&amp;endDate=&amp;dateIsOption=yesterday&amp;pageSort=actionAsc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">civilian nominees</a>, more than double the 32 civilian nominees the Senate confirmed by the same date in 2017, and it beats the 52 civilian nominees confirmed by May 15 in 2021 during President Joe Biden&#8217;s first and only term.
Senate Republicans, who hold a <a href="https://www.senate.gov/history/partydiv.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">53-seat majority</a>, have confirmed several nominees this week as the House focuses on putting together Trump&#8217;s &#8220;one big, beautiful bill.&#8221; The 67th nominee was Sean Donahue, who was confirmed to become the assistant director of the EPA in a <a href="https://x.com/SenatePress/status/1923047477206261886" target="_blank" rel="noopener">51-46 vote</a> on Thursday.
While the pace may come down to a number of factors, including when Trump is announcing his nominees, Democrats have also sought to slow down the process through various means, including the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/schumer-intervenes-block-trumps-us-attorney-nominees" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&#8220;blue slip&#8221;</a> tradition which allows senators to block home-state judicial nominees.
On Tuesday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/schumer-moves-to-inflict-pain-on-trump-over-400-million-flying-palace-from-qatar" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> that he would place a hold on Trump&#8217;s political nominees for the Department of Justice (DOJ) until more clarity is given on the president&#8217;s controversial <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-defends-400-million-flying-palace-offered-as-gift-from-qatar" target="_blank" rel="noopener">plan</a> to receive a roughly $400 million luxury aircraft known as the &#8220;Flying Palace&#8221; from Qatar.
A hold requires Senate majority leadership to schedule floor votes for nominees, bypassing the faster unanimous consent process that would allow the upper chamber to confirm the president&#8217;s picks in batches, and there have been no voice vote confirmations so far this year.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngpt6czKdiw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a floor speech this week that he hoped Democrats would stop their &#8220;pointless obstruction&#8221; because allowing the upper chamber to confirm nominees would allow lawmakers more room to legislate and spend more time in their states.
“Democrats can drag out nominations all they want, but we’re going to fill out the president’s administration and ensure that his nominees get into place so that … he can do the job that he was elected to do,&#8221; Thune said.
The Senate <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/senate-confirms-last-of-trump-2-0-cabinet-secretaries" target="_blank" rel="noopener">confirmed</a> all of the secretaries in Trump&#8217;s second-term Cabinet back in March. Trump withdrew his original pick for U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), and has since <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-shreds-media-portrayal-mike-waltz-switcheroo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tapped</a> Mike Waltz, who was his national security adviser, to become the nominee.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD)

Senate GOP Breaks Through Dem ‘Obstruction’ On Trump 2.0 Civilian Nominees

Presidential nomination

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) refused to answer a question from CNN anchor Kasie Hunt about former President Joe Biden&#8217;s obvious cognitive decline, saying instead that he was &#8220;looking forward&#8221; and changing the subject to attack President Donald Trump.
In the context of the forthcoming book &#8220;Original Sin&#8221; — which explores Biden&#8217;s decline and the lengths to which the people around him went to cover it up — Hunt asked Schumer a question that essentially boiled down to the classic &#8220;what did you know, and when did you know it?&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
CNN’s ⁦<a href="https://twitter.com/kasie?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@kasie</a>⁩ Hunt to Chuck Schumer: “Did you really not have any idea that Biden was “not fit to serve a second term?”
Schumer: *refuses to answer* <a href="https://t.co/misRQOnd9F">pic.twitter.com/misRQOnd9F</a>
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) <a href="https://twitter.com/tomselliott/status/1922405528615166227?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;I really do want to ask you about something that has been breaking out of CNN, our Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson have written a book called &#8216;Original Sin&#8217; and they call it a cover-up of Biden&#8217;s health and his cognition and his fitness, quite frankly, to be President of the United States,&#8221; Hunt began, and she noted that Schumer had met with Biden on a number of occasions in the months leading up to the disastrous debate on CNN in late June.
&#8220;Did you really not have any idea that he was not fit to serve a second term?&#8221; she asked.
&#8220;Kasie, we&#8217;re looking forward,&#8221; Schumer replied. &#8220;We have the largest Medicaid cut in front of us, we have the whole federal government at risk —&#8221;
Hunt interrupted then, reminding Schumer that the entire premise of the book was that Biden&#8217;s apparent lack of fitness — and his insistence upon running anyway — may be the reason Democrats were dealing with a second term under President Donald Trump.
&#8220;We&#8217;re looking forward,&#8221; Schumer said again, making it clear that he had no intention whatsoever of addressing her question.
According to the book, Schumer actually <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/kamalas-team-tosses-biden-under-the-bus-blames-him-for-2024-loss" target="_blank" rel="noopener">met with Biden</a> in Rehoboth Beach after the debate in June, warning him that if he did not choose to exit the presidential race gracefully, he was likely to lose to Trump and sully 50 years of public service.

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y

Chuck Schumer Won’t Say When He Knew Biden Was Unfit To Serve

Axios

Jake Tapper

Joe Biden

Media

On Tuesday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said that he would slow the process of confirming political nominees for the Department of Justice (DOJ) until more clarity is given on President Donald Trump&#8217;s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-defends-400-million-flying-palace-offered-as-gift-from-qatar" target="_blank" rel="noopener">plan</a> to receive a roughly $400 million luxury aircraft known as the &#8220;Flying Palace&#8221; from Qatar.
The move comes after sources told <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-administration-poised-accept-palace-sky-gift-trump/story?id=121680511" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ABC News</a> that Attorney General Pam Bondi provided a legal memo to White House lawyer David Warrington and they determined it was &#8220;legally permissible&#8221; for the donation of the Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet to be conditioned on transferring ownership to the Trump presidential library foundation shortly before the end of the president&#8217;s term.
&#8220;This is not just naked corruption, it is also a grave national security threat,&#8221; Schumer said in a Senate floor speech. &#8220;So, in light of the deeply troubling news of a possible Qatari-funded Air Force One, and the reports that the attorney general personally signed off on this clearly unethical deal, I am announcing a hold on all DOJ political nominees until we get more answers.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/SenSchumer?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SenSchumer</a>: &#8220;In light of the deeply troubling news of a possible Qatari-funded Air Force One and the reports that the Attorney General personally signed off on this clearly unethical deal I am announcing a hold on all DOJ political nominees until we get more answers.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/0TFPTWnxJM">pic.twitter.com/0TFPTWnxJM</a>
— CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1922301849857561063?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Schumer listed a number of questions focused on security risks and seeking clarity on whether taxpayers would be on the hook for the plane.
The top Democrat said the DOJ’s Foreign Agents Registration Act Unit needs to “disclose all activities by Qatari foreign agents inside the US that could benefit President Trump or the Trump Organization.&#8221; He also declared that Bondi &#8220;must testify before both the House and the Senate to explain why gifting Donald Trump a private jet does not violate the Emoluments Clause — which requires congressional approval — or any ethics law.&#8221;
A hold requires Senate majority leadership to schedule a floor vote for a nominee, bypassing the faster unanimous consent process that would allow the upper chamber to confirm the president&#8217;s picks in batches. Democrats have employed the hold strategy and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/schumer-intervenes-block-trumps-us-attorney-nominees" target="_blank" rel="noopener">other</a> tactics to stymie other Trump nominees.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngpt6czKdiw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">signaled</a> on Monday that Republicans would move forward with Trump&#8217;s picks, adding that he hoped Democrats would stop their &#8220;pointless obstruction&#8221; because allowing the upper chamber to confirm nominees would allow lawmakers more room to legislate and spend more time in their states. &#8220;But if we have to do this the hard way, we will,&#8221; Thune said. &#8220;We’re going to get the president’s team in place.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
It’s pretty clear that obstructing, not legislating, is Democrats’ priority right now.
Since we’re not able to consider the GENIUS Act this week, thanks to Democrats, we’re going to turn to nominations – another area where they have made obstruction the name of the game. <a href="https://t.co/n05UyFZdbf">pic.twitter.com/n05UyFZdbf</a>
— Leader John Thune (@LeaderJohnThune) <a href="https://twitter.com/LeaderJohnThune/status/1922017202061918510?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 12, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Qatar is one of the wealthiest nations in the world, and it spends massive sums of money to gain influence in the United States. It also uses its riches to bankroll the terrorist group Hamas and the Middle Eastern news powerhouse Al Jazeera. The oil-rich government frequently invites politicians on state-funded junkets to the Middle East, where they are treated to all the luxuries that Qatar has to offer.
Amid a torrent of criticism, including many who generally support Trump, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt <a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2025-05-11/trump-set-to-accept-luxury-747-from-qatar-to-use-as-air-force-one-abc-news-says" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>, &#8220;Any gift given by a foreign government is always accepted in full compliance with all applicable laws. President Trump’s administration is committed to full transparency.&#8221;
Trump, who is expected to visit Qatar this week during a swing through the Middle East, also dismissed the concerns in a <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114492082555622686" target="_blank" rel="noopener">post</a> on Truth Social.
&#8220;So the fact that the Defense Department is getting a GIFT, FREE OF CHARGE, of a 747 aircraft to replace the 40 year old Air Force One, temporarily, in a very public and transparent transaction, so bothers the Crooked Democrats that they insist we pay, TOP DOLLAR, for the plane. Anybody can do that! The Dems are World Class Losers!!! MAGA,&#8221; Trump said.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY)

Schumer Moves To Inflict Pain On Trump Over $400 Million ‘Flying Palace’ From Qatar

Charles Schumer

Department of Justice

Executive

CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten warned Democrats not to get too far out over their skis in celebrating President Donald Trump&#8217;s recent lower poll numbers, noting that he was still beating them handily on most issues.
Enten spoke with host Sara Sidner on Thursday morning — on the heels of former Vice President Kamala Harris&#8217; speech at San Francisco&#8217;s Emerge America gala — and among the questions they discussed was whether or not Americans believed Trump was doing a better job as president than Harris would have.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
&#8220;These numbers should be a major wake-up call for Democrats.&#8221; Even now, Trump still does well when matched against Democrats.
-Trump 45%-Harris 43% on who&#8217;d be doing a better job as president 
-Trump 40% to Dems in Congress&#8217; 32% on who can better deal with the main U.S. problems <a href="https://t.co/P5Fg4KdLqG">pic.twitter.com/P5Fg4KdLqG</a>
— (((Harry Enten))) (@ForecasterEnten) <a href="https://twitter.com/ForecasterEnten/status/1917946852596424948?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 1, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Enten explained that even though Trump has seen a drop-off in his approval numbers — especially since he rolled out widespread tariffs in early April — his numbers are still higher than those of the Democrats who continue to attack him.
&#8220;It’s not just about regretting that vote. It’s literally saying who would be doing the better job right now? And Trump continues to score a higher percentage of the vote than Kamala Harris,&#8221; Enten said, sharing data from a CNN poll that showed 45% saying Trump was doing a better job as president than Harris (at 43%) would have.
&#8220;This looks a heck of a lot like the election result. We have just seen this in poll after poll after poll, despite the fact that Trump’s favorable ratings aren’t too hot to trot when he’s matched up against who he was matched up in 2024. He still, across the polls, scores a higher percentage than Kamala Harris,&#8221; he said.
&#8220;The bottom line is when you look at Donald Trump in a vacuum, it’s one thing, but when you actually match him up against folks in the real world, all of a sudden his numbers look considerably better. And when you match him up against his main competition at this point, Democrats in Congress, he is more trusted on the main problems facing the United States right now,&#8221; Enten continued, noting that a recent ABC/Ipsos/Washington Post poll had Trump at 40% with Democrats in Congress at 32%. &#8220;In fact, it’s not even close. It’s an eight point advantage, which in politics, well, that’s a wide ocean.&#8221;
He then issued a warning to Democrats who thought Trump&#8217;s low poll numbers meant they would have an easy road in 2026 or even 2028, adding, &#8220;If Democrats think that at this particular point, just because Donald Trump is unpopular, that they’re going to run away with it like a Heisman trophy winner, that is not necessarily the case. These numbers should be a major wake up call for Democrats. Despite Donald Trump’s unpopularity in the polls. When you actually go up against him and you put Democrats&#8217; names against him, when you put Republicans as a whole up against him, Republicans and Donald Trump do considerably better. And that is why Democrats, in fact, cannot count their chickens just yet because those eggs have not cracked at this particular moment.&#8221;
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) gave a real world example of exactly what Enten was saying during a recent press conference, where he crowed about just how low Trump&#8217;s approval numbers were for his first 100 days.
CNN reporter Manu Raju pushed back, pointing out that Schumer himself had the lowest approval rating in Congress with just 17% — a fact that Schumer quickly brushed aside, saying, &#8220;Polls come and go.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Same Presser:
Schumer: &#8220;Trump has the lowest 100 day approval rating since they started polling.&#8221;
2 Minutes later.
Manu Raju: &#8220;There&#8217;s a poll out today that has your approval rating lower than any other Congressional leader at 17 percent.&#8221;
Schumer: &#8220;Polls come and go.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/aMNc0Su667">pic.twitter.com/aMNc0Su667</a>
— Carmine Sabia (@CarmineSabia) <a href="https://twitter.com/CarmineSabia/status/1917583236256895088?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Democratic Congressional Leaders Reveal Proposals To Combat Trump, DOGE “Chaos”

CNN Pollster Warns Dems Gleefully Broadcasting Trump’s Poor Poll Numbers: Theirs Are Worse

CNN Pollster Warns Dems Gleefully Broadcasting Trump's Poor Poll Numbers: Theirs Are Worse

Polls

In one moment, embattled Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) was touting polls that reflected poorly on President Donald Trump. In another, he was dismissing a survey that showed a grim approval rating for himself.
The inconsistent commentary on the significance of bad poll numbers, first <a href="https://x.com/frankthorp/status/1917304878327816344" target="_blank" rel="noopener">highlighted</a> on X by NBC&#8217;s Frank Thorp V, happened Tuesday as Schumer and other Senate Democrats held a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-bVrqfslqI" target="_blank" rel="noopener">press conference</a> to highlight &#8220;100 days of chaos&#8221; during Trump&#8217;s second term.
In his introductory remarks, Schumer said, &#8220;The polls this week show Trump has the lowest 100-day approval rating since they started polling 80 years ago. The lowest! Even worse, 72% of Americans think it&#8217;s likely that Trump&#8217;s handling of the economy will walk us directly into a recession.&#8221;
Less than 20 minutes later, during the same event, CNN&#8217;s Manu Raju <a href="https://x.com/mkraju/status/1917306463145415149" target="_blank" rel="noopener">asked</a> Schumer about his own dismal approval ratings.
&#8220;There&#8217;s a poll out today that has your approval ratings lower than any other congressional leader at 17%. Are you concerned that you may be a liability for your party?&#8221; Raju asked.
&#8220;Polls come and go,&#8221; Schumer replied. &#8220;Our party is united. We&#8217;re on our front foot. We&#8217;re stepping forward, going after Trump and having real success.&#8221;
Schumer has faced a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/embattled-schumer-crowns-himself-the-best-leader-for-the-senate" target="_blank" rel="noopener">crisis</a> of confidence in his leadership among some Democrats ever since he refused to vote in favor of blocking a GOP stopgap bill to avert a partial government shutdown earlier this year.
The New York Democrat <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zh6DQMjKuDk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> CNN over the weekend that he was &#8220;staying put&#8221; after Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), the second-ranked Democrat in the Senate, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/no-2-senate-democrat-dick-durbin-to-retire" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> last week, &#8220;In my heart, I know it’s time to pass the torch,&#8221; revealing that he would not seek re-election in 2026.
“I’m fighting the fight every day, as is our caucus, in a united and successful way, as you have seen by your poll and other polls,” Schumer <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/schumer-wont-rule-out-prioritizing-another-trump-impeachment" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. “We’re showing America how bad Trump is, and showing that Republicans who embrace Trump do so at their peril.”
Just before he reached the 100-day milestone of his second term, Trump also disregarded the polls in a post to his social media platform on Monday.
&#8220;The Polls from the Fake News are, like the News itself, FAKE! We are doing GREAT, better than ever before,&#8221; he <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114419185611217033" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> on Truth Social.

Minority Leader, Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY)

Schumer’s Poll Dance: Pounces On Trump’s Low Numbers, Ignores His Own Dismal Ratings

Democrats

Speaking on MSNBC over the weekend, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) railed against President Donald Trump and his administration, saying they were “trying to intimidate judges.”
Schumer spoke as the two discussed the case of Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan, whom the Trump administration charged with two felonies for obstructing immigration agents. In mid-April, when immigration, DEA. and FBI agents came to apprehend Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, an illegal in Dugan’s courtroom to face domestic violence charges — and Dugan had been notified that there was an administrative warrant for the Flores-Ruiz’s arrest — “Judge Dugan then escorted Flores-Ruiz and his counsel out of the courtroom through the ‘jury door,’ which leads to a nonpublic area of the courthouse,” the<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/25/us/politics/fbi-arrest-judge.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> criminal complaint</a> stated.
“Trump wants to be king,” Schumer whined to MSNBC host Al Sharpton. “A king doesn’t have a Constitution. A king just does whatever he wants. And [Attorney General Pam] Biondi (sic) just goes along with him. They’re trying to intimidate judges. This is not the first time or the second. They’ve said they want to impeach judges. They said they’re going to go after judges who don’t agree with them. That is so against the Constitution. The Constitution believes and has been written with the wisdom of the founding fathers, that we should have separation of powers.”
“There should be an independent judiciary,” he continued. “When you go before a judge, you think that you hope and believe that that judge is impartial. What Trump, Biondi (sic), and the whole Justice Department are trying to do is push that judge, threaten that judge, so the judge is no longer impartial. &#8230; I don’t believe ICE or anything they say, because they’ve made up things so many times in the past. This is a constitutional crisis. You cannot have a — you cannot have a democracy without an independent judiciary. And they’re trying to clip the wings of that independence.”
Schumer’s hypocrisy knows no bounds. In March 2020, he threatened conservative members of the Supreme Court for considering abortion rights cases, shouting at an abortion rights rally:
<blockquote>Inside the walls of this court, the Supreme Court is hearing arguments, as you know, for the first major abortion rights cases since Justice Kavanaugh and Justice Gorsuch came to the bench. &#8230; I want to tell you Gorsuch, I want to tell you Kavanaugh, you have released the whirlwind and you will pay the price. You won’t know what hit you if you go forward with these awful decisions.</blockquote>
Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA), who was critically injured when shot by a Bernie Sanders supporter, called Schumer&#8217;s comments “unhinged,&#8221; adding, &#8220;This rhetoric has dangerous consequences.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
🚨 UNHINGED → Schumer threatened conservative justices Kavanaugh &amp; Gorsuch on the steps of the Supreme Court:
&quot;You have released the whirlwind &amp; you will pay the price. You won&#39;t know what hit you.&quot;
Enough. This rhetoric has dangerous consequences. Where&#39;s the media outrage? <a href="https://t.co/SiGNHxG0iX">pic.twitter.com/SiGNHxG0iX</a>
&mdash; Steve Scalise (@SteveScalise) <a href="https://twitter.com/SteveScalise/status/1235299202542063616?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 4, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
2025: Chuck Schumer says Trump wants to intimidate and threaten judges.
2020: Chuck Schumer tries to intimidate and threaten Justices of the Supreme Court. <a href="https://t.co/FdisnZKk0I">pic.twitter.com/FdisnZKk0I</a>
&mdash; Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) <a href="https://twitter.com/WesternLensman/status/1916594680260968939?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 27, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer

Hypocrite: Schumer Wails Trump ‘Trying To Intimidate Judges.’ He Threatened SCOTUS In 2020.

Immigration

Judges

Supreme Court

On Sunday, embattled Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) would not rule out prioritizing another impeachment effort against President Donald Trump if Democrats take back power in Congress after the 2026 midterm elections.
CNN anchor Dana Bash pressed Schumer on the question during an interview on &#8220;State of the Union,&#8221; noting how Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) said he &#8220;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/25/politics/jon-ossoff-trump-impeachment/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">strongly</a>&#8221; agreed that Trump needs to be impeached.
&#8220;Your colleague from Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff told voters at a town hall that he &#8216;strongly&#8217; agrees that President Trump should be impeached. Do you agree with him? Would that be a priority if Democrats were to take back Congress?&#8221; Bash asked.
&#8220;Well, look, right now, President Trump is violating rule of law in every way,&#8221; Schumer claimed. &#8220;We&#8217;re fighting him every single day in every way. And our goal is to show the American people over and over again, whether it&#8217;s the economy, whether it&#8217;s tariffs, whether it&#8217;s Russia and overseas, and whether it&#8217;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&#8217;s having an effect.&#8221;
Bash cut in as Schumer started talking about polls, &#8220;But you&#8217;re not ruling out &#8230; You&#8217;re not saying no?&#8221;
Schumer would not take a stance either way. &#8220;Look, it&#8217;s too far away to even judge,&#8221; he said.
Trump was impeached twice during his first term by the House, which was then controlled by the Democrats. One effort dealt with Ukraine, and the other with January 6. Both bids ended in acquittal by a GOP-led Senate.
Schumer, who is facing a crisis of confidence in his leadership after he refused to obstruct a GOP stopgap bill to avert a partial government shutdown earlier this year, insisted that he is staying put and sent a warning to Republicans.
&#8220;I&#8217;m fighting the fight every day, as is our caucus, in a united and successful way, as you have seen by your poll and other polls,&#8221; Schumer said. &#8220;We&#8217;re showing America how bad Trump is, and showing that Republicans who embrace Trump do so at their peril.&#8221;

Schumer Won’t Rule Out Prioritizing Another Trump Impeachment

Impeachment

CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten painted a dismal picture for Democrats — in particular for Democratic leadership on Capitol Hill — suggesting during a Thursday appearance that the bottom has effectively dropped out for the minority party.
Enten joined anchor John Berman on &#8220;CNN News Central,&#8221; where he highlighted a dramatic drop-off in the overall approval ratings of top Democrats — especially when it came to their handling of the economy in the months since President Donald Trump returned to the White House.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
🚨NEW: CNN&#39;s Harry Enten says he thinks there&#39;s &quot;REVOLT&quot; occurring within Dem Party🚨
&quot;Democrats on Dem leaders in Congress — the belief that they will do the right thing when it comes to the economy — last year at this time, 80% believed that the Democratic leaders in Congress… <a href="https://t.co/BdKJ6FYKqN">pic.twitter.com/BdKJ6FYKqN</a>
&mdash; Jason Cohen 🇺🇸 (@JasonJournoDC) <a href="https://twitter.com/JasonJournoDC/status/1915447865343610883?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 24, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;This, I think, is a revolt, a revolt that is going on within the Democratic Party right now, Democrats and their leaders,&#8221; Enten said, noting that the poor poll numbers were reflective of Democratic voters not having any confidence in the leadership of their own party.
&#8220;I mean, take a look nationally. Democrats on Dem leaders in Congress — the belief that they will do the right thing when it comes to the economy — last year at this time, 80% believed that the Democratic leaders in Congress would do the right thing when it comes to the economy,&#8221; Enten said reiterating again the fact that these numbers were reflective of what Democrats thought of their own party&#8217;s leadership.
&#8220;Look at where we are now. That number has been slashed in half — to just 39%. Holy Toledo,&#8221; Enten exclaimed. &#8220;That is the lowest number by far in Gallup polling. The lowest previous was just 60%, which is 21 points higher than this.&#8221;
&#8220;Democrats hate, hate, hate, hate what their congressional leaders in Washington are doing right now on the key issue of the day, the economy. And their confidence has fallen through the floor,&#8221; he concluded.
Enten also pointed to recent polling that could spell disaster for Senate Minority Leader <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/cnn-data-guru-its-time-for-chuck-schumer-to-panic-sirens-should-be-going-off" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chuck Schumer</a>, noting that the longtime party leader was struggling to keep the approval of even half of Democrats in his home state. Schumer recently broke with his House counterpart — Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) — on a bipartisan spending bill to avoid a government shutdown, prompting backlash from within the party.
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is also in disarray since newly-elected Vice Chair <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/new-dnc-leader-david-hogg-says-hell-push-primaries-against-some-in-his-own-party" target="_blank" rel="noopener">David Hogg</a> announced his plan to use Leaders We Deserve — an organization he founded — to funnel $20 million into <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dnc-chief-warns-david-hogg-if-you-challenge-dem-incumbents-leave-dnc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">primary challenges</a> for &#8220;out of touch&#8221; Democrats. Jeffries pushed back during a Sunday interview, saying he planned to support every incumbent Democrat, and longtime Democratic strategist <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-honeymoon-is-over-longtime-dem-strategist-trashes-contemptible-little-twerp-david-hogg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">James Carville</a> suggested that the DNC could sue Hogg for working against the party&#8217;s interests.
Meanwhile, Senate Minority Whip <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/no-2-senate-democrat-dick-durbin-to-retire" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dick Durbin</a> (D-IL) may have seen the writing on the wall — he announced on Wednesday that he did not plan to seek reelection.

US-POLITICS-TRUMP-CONGRESS

‘Holy Toledo’: The Bottom Has Dropped Out For Democrat Leadership, CNN Pollster Says

'Holy Toledo': CNN Pollster Says The Bottom Has Dropped Out For Democrat Leadership

Hakeem Jeffries

CNN&#8217;s resident pollster Harry Enten raised the big red flags as he broke down the latest numbers for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) — who has held one of New York&#8217;s two Senate seats since 1999 — noting that the Democratic leader&#8217;s future looks far from secure.
Enten, whose official job title is chief data analyst, joined anchor John Berman on Thursday&#8217;s broadcast of CNN News Central — and he laid out the details of a Siena College poll, explaining why those numbers should be setting off alarm bells for Schumer and his team.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
🚨NEW: CNN&#39;s Harry Enten warns Chuck Schumer it&#39;s officially time to PANIC about his political future🚨
&quot;Should Schumer stay as Senate leader? According to New York Democrats, just 50% say yes &#8230; 48% say no. This screams — sirens should be going off. Primary challenge. Primary… <a href="https://t.co/q1synv0V6y">pic.twitter.com/q1synv0V6y</a>
&mdash; Jason Cohen 🇺🇸 (@JasonJournoDC) <a href="https://twitter.com/JasonJournoDC/status/1915445411956801841?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 24, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;New York Democrats on Chuck Schumer — view him favorably in December of 2024. That was just a few months ago — it was 73%. Look at where that number has fallen to in just a few months. It is now down to just 52%,&#8221; Enten explained, adding, &#8220;That is the lowest I could ever find in Siena College on how Democrats in Chuck Schumer’s home state view him.&#8221;
&#8220;And keep in mind, if you’re thinking about a primary challenge, it would be a few years away — but Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s favorable rating among Democrats is considerably higher, in the 60s. So he is doing quite poorly in his own home state of New York,&#8221; Enten continued. &#8220;I never thought I’d see the day in which just 52% of New York Democrats view Chuck Schumer favorably. It’s almost unfathomable.&#8221;
Enten went on to note that other poll questions had given equally bad news for the New York Democrat — who has led the Senate Democratic Caucus since 2017 and was the Senate Majority Leader for the last four years.
&#8220;They simply don’t like the job he’s doing as Senate leader. I mean, look at this — should Schumer stay as Senate leader? Again, according to New York Democrats, just 50% say yes. Look at this number — 48% say no,&#8221; he added. &#8220;This screams — sirens should be going off. Primary challenge. Primary challenge. Primary challenge. When you’re a Democrat in New York and these are your ratings — this is a big wake-up call if you’re Chuck Schumer.&#8221;

Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer

CNN Data Guru: It’s Time For Chuck Schumer To Panic, ‘Sirens Should Be Going Off’

CNN Data Guru: It's Time For Chuck Schumer To Panic, 'Sirens Should Be Going Off'

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Elections

New York

On Wednesday evening, President Donald Trump circumvented an effort by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/schumer-intervenes-block-trumps-us-attorney-nominees" target="_blank" rel="noopener">block</a> one of his nominees for a key federal prosecutor role in New York.
Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114349929882626042" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> on Truth Social that he was appointing Jay Clayton to become interim U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, sidestepping the Senate confirmation process that Schumer sought to jam, at least for now.
&#8220;I am pleased to announce that Jay Clayton will serve as the Interim United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York. During my First Term, Jay served with great distinction as the Chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission, and earned the respect of everyone,&#8221; Trump said.
Trump noted that he first announced his intent to nominate Clayton for the Southern District of New York in mid-November and contended that his pick had received &#8220;wide, Bipartisan support.&#8221;
He added, &#8220;Now, after five months and, even though Jay was previously confirmed by the Senate on a Bipartisan basis, and has complied with ALL requests of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Chuck Schumer has announced that he is blocking all New York U.S. Attorney Nominees.&#8221;
Schumer said earlier on Wednesday that he intended to stop Clayton as well as Joseph Nocella Jr., a Long Island judge chosen for U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, using the &#8220;blue slip&#8221; tradition in which home-state senators can effectively block a nominee if they do not support the individual.
&#8220;Donald Trump has made clear he has no fidelity to the law and intends to use the Justice Department, the U.S. Attorney offices and law enforcement as weapons to go after his perceived enemies,&#8221; Schumer said in a <a href="https://www.democrats.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/schumer-uses-blue-slip-to-block-trump-us-attorney-nominees" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a>.
He added, &#8220;Such blatant and depraved political motivations are deeply corrosive to the rule of law and leaves me deeply skeptical of the [sic] Donald Trump’s intentions for these important positions. For that reason, I will not return the blue slip for the U.S. Attorney nominees for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York.&#8221;
The Republican majority Senate Judiciary Committee has the power to disregard Schumer and proceed with the nominees in spite of his protest. However, Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/16/us/schumer-trump-new-york-prosecutors.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">indicated</a> to The New York Times that his panel would not break the &#8220;blue slip&#8221; tradition.
In his Wednesday post, Trump stated that his administration remains committed to securing full Senate confirmation for Clayton, advancing past his temporary U.S. attorney role, as with Ed Martin and Alina Habba, interim top federal prosecutors in Washington, D.C., and New Jersey, respectively.
&#8220;The Southern District leads the Department of Justice’s oversight over our Financial Markets, and fights for the safety of Millions of New Yorkers and the over 60 Million people who visit New York annually,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;The Southern District needs strong leadership NOW, and I thank Jay for taking on this role while we continue to pursue his Senate confirmation.&#8221;

Trump Outmaneuvers Schumer On Pick For Top Federal Prosecutor

U.S. attorneys

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