Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is interviewed on CNN by Kasie Hunt.
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00:00We are going to start with Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, who is live with us now from Capitol Hill.
00:06Senator Schumer, I'm so grateful to have you in the arena.
00:10Good afternoon.
00:11I want to start with this hold that you've put on these nominees,
00:16because, of course, Democrats have been pushing you and the colleagues of yours that you lead to do more, to oppose President Trump.
00:25Is that what this is?
00:26No, this is an issue of outright bribery and a serious issue of national security as well.
00:33To let any foreign country donate, quote, unquote, a 747 that is the presidential plane, Air Force One,
00:45that's the most sophisticated plane in the world, more than any other plane.
00:49And there are huge security issues if someone else donates it.
00:52In fact, if this happens, and I pray to God that it doesn't, because it's such a security risk,
00:58they'd have to take apart the entire plane down to the screws and nuts and bolts and see if any listening devices were implanted in it.
01:05So it's a huge national security issue.
01:08It's an issue of bribery.
01:09This is probably the biggest, I'm certain, it's the biggest gift, quote, unquote, that has ever been given to a sitting president.
01:19And, as your person said there, not only is there no free lunch, there's no free Air Force One.
01:26I think I was saying it was my mother who frequently told me that there's no free lunch.
01:28Well, I'm glad to quote your mother, Casey.
01:31She's a very wise woman.
01:32Thank you very much, Senator.
01:34So, bottom line here, though, it doesn't seem like anybody could actually stop this from happening.
01:40Is there anything you can do to stop it?
01:42Well, you've heard even on your show, there are a whole lot of Republicans who are worried here.
01:47I hope they're worried about the bribery issue and the relationship that Trump has.
01:52You know, there's something called FARA, Foreign Agents Registration Act,
01:56that already this Justice Department has weakened.
01:58Who are the other Qatari agents here?
02:01What relationships have they had?
02:03What offers have they made to Donald Trump, to members of his family, to members of his administration?
02:08So, there are so many issues here that I hope we've already heard some Republican congressional people talk about how bad this is.
02:15And I hope there are some serious people within the administration who take our national security seriously,
02:21who will tell Trump he can't do this.
02:23But it's outrageous.
02:24And by putting a hold, Casey, we'll be able to debate it.
02:28We'll be able to vote on these nominees.
02:30And I think the more sunlight that's brought to this issue, they didn't want to make it public,
02:35the greater the public outcry there will be.
02:38And hopefully that will persuade this administration to not do this not only dumb idea, but dangerous, dangerous idea.
02:47Senator, I want to ask you also about what's been going on in the Democratic Party.
02:53You, of course, have come in for no small amount of criticism from members of your own party.
02:59I'm going to speak later in the hour with Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, who's talked about do-nothing Democrats, politicians, pundits.
03:07Do you think that he was including you in that criticism?
03:11And is there any validity to it?
03:13All I know is that Democrats in the House and the Senate are fighting this new reconciliation bill tooth and nail.
03:21It's the largest Medicaid cut in history.
03:25If it happens, 14 million people will lose their health care between this and ACA.
03:30Many more will pay.
03:31Their premiums will go through the roof.
03:34Rural hospitals, local hospitals will close.
03:37Many, many will be thrown out of work.
03:39And many, many more will not get health care.
03:41So we are together.
03:42We're on our front foot.
03:43We're fighting very hard on this issue.
03:45And that's why the Republicans are having such trouble putting their reconciliation bill together.
03:51We're fighting on this.
03:52We're fighting on Social Security.
03:53And then finally, when you realize they're cutting Medicaid, cutting health care, going after Social Security, all for tax breaks for the billionaires, it's outrageous.
04:03And the public is on our side on this issue.
04:05I do hear the Democratic messaging that you always say that the public is on the side for.
04:10Sir, I really do want to ask you about something that has been breaking out of CNN.
04:14Our Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson have written a book called Original Sin, and they call it a cover-up of Biden's health and his cognition and his fitness, quite frankly, to be president in the United States.
04:27You sat next to Biden in the Oval Office February 27th, 2024, just a handful of months before the president took that debate stage.
04:37And it was later reported that you and other Democratic leaders were talking before the debate about having a plan.
04:45You and Hakeem Jeffries, Nancy Pelosi, Barack Obama.
04:48I understand you later denied that that ever happened.
04:51But I am curious, I'm interested to know whether the man that you saw sitting there on that couch on that day, you were in there, you saw him up close and personal.
05:01Did you really not have any idea that he was not fit to serve a second term?
05:07Casey, we're looking forward.
05:09We have the largest Medicaid cut in front of us.
05:11We have the whole federal government at risk.
05:13You're facing all of this because you lost a presidential election, and is that not Joe Biden's responsibility for deciding to run again?
05:19We're looking forward.
05:22That's it?
05:23That's it.
05:25All right.
05:25Senator Chuck Schumer, I know you've got to go.
05:27I appreciate your time today.
05:30We'll see you soon, I hope.
05:31Take care.
05:31Bye-bye.