While on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said this morning that while he believes former president Trump’s power is “declining,” he still doesn’t believe that he should be ‘underestimated.’ Schumer, in the past, has chosen to make Trump out to be politically incompetent, as well as many of his political allies. However, after a strong past few weeks and Trump’s role in securing a deal to get Kevin McCarthy into the role of Speaker of the House, Schumer, as well as other Democrats may need to pump the breaks and realize that Trump is a larger threat than they previously assumed.
When asked by “Morning Joe” co-host Willie Geist whether or not the Republican party is moving away from former president Donald Trump, Schumer responded with:
“I think his power is declining some. But I wouldn’t underestimate him. The problem is in our primary votes, we don’t have the whole electorate voting,”
“He’s a danger to our democracy, but I do think that the Republican Party is in for a reckoning come the next year or so and it’s not just Trump. Are they going to follow this MAGA-type proposals, which he originated and some are adopting, or are the going to go back to the more traditional Republican Party, conservative but not radical and not anti-democratic, small d.”
Following the victory lap that Democrats and the media took following a weak showing by Republicans in the 2022 Midterm elections, Donald Trump reasserted his political power, and had a large hand in the election of Rep. Kevin McCarthy securing the role of Speaker of the House. With this came many deals the Freedom Caucus made with McCarthy in order to make sure that their top demands are met, including their own investigation into Jan. 6th, as well as looking into the CCP and the origins of COVID-19. Schumer then also went on to discuss new Speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy, saying:
“Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s dream job could turn into a nightmare for the American people,”
“To get the votes, he surrendered to demands of a fringe element of the Republican Party. Kevin McCarthy’s concessions to the extremists in his party make it far more likely that the MAGA Republican-controlled House will cause a government shutdown or a default with devastating consequences to our country.”
It’s clear that Schumer is keeping the Freedom Caucus Republicans and Trump-allies in mind when considering even legislation made at a Congressional level, and that Trump’s influence in the GOP, especially the young GOP, is something to consider moving forward. These Republicans are less likely to concede to Democrats, and would rather oust weaker and more centrist members of their own party, such as Mitch McConnell.
Donald Trump has already announced that he’ll be running for President in 2024, and while Democrats can brush off Trump’s 2024 Presidental ambitions, they may make the same mistake they made in 2016 when he made history and beat Hillary Clinton. While polling may currently show Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as the top pick for Republicans in 2024, Trump has over a year to turn that tide, and DeSantis can’t ride the success of the Midterms in Florida until then. At this point, it’s still anyone’s game, meaning Trump has just as good of a shot as any despite current polling data.
