The recent conclusion of the longest government shutdown in American history has not quelled the media's critique of Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer's management of the crisis.
A diverse range of media figures, from late-night show hosts to former White House staff, have voiced their disapproval of Schumer's leadership, particularly after eight members of the Senate Democratic caucus diverged from party lines, signaling the impending end of the historically long shutdown.
According to Fox News, Schumer and his Democratic caucus had insisted throughout the shutdown that they would only vote to reopen the government if they were assured of a solid agreement on the soon-to-expire Obamacare subsidies. However, such a deal never came to fruition. Instead, the eight dissenting senators accepted the proposal that Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., had been offering from the onset a promise to vote on legislation addressing the subsidies.
In the aftermath of Sundays vote to reopen the government, several media personalities had pointed remarks for Schumer. David Axelrod, a former advisor to President Obama, expressed his belief to a CNN panel that Schumer is "in bigger trouble" within his own party following the shutdown's conclusion. When CNN host Anderson Cooper asked Axelrod if Schumer "could be in trouble" with the Democratic Party's "left flank" after caucus members voted with Republicans to reopen the government, Axelrod responded, "I think he's been in trouble I think he is in bigger trouble now. My guess is that he wont be leader of the party in 2027 after this election, unless something really surprising happens."
On an episode of MSNBCs "The Briefing," host Jen Psaki questioned "what happened" to Schumer after his caucus accepted Thunes deal to reopen the government. Psaki played a video clip of Schumer discussing the shutdown in early October, in which the Democratic senator claimed that Republicans were "hellbent on taking healthcare away from 60 million people," adding, "Democrats have three words for this: No f---ing way. Its literally life or death."
Psaki commented after the video, "That guy was fiery. There was ominous music. He swore. I mean, there was a lot in that video. What happened to that guy? And of course, Democrats had every reason to feel like they were in a good position to keep up the fight. I mean for a range of reasons." She cited NBC News polling that indicated more voters blamed Republicans for the shutdown than Democrats.
Seth Meyers, host of "Late Night," criticized Democrats on his show the day after the shutdown vote, questioning why they thought it was time to "cave" to President Donald Trump. "Democrats have finally backed Trump into a corner. Polls showed voters were on their side. And then just when it seemed like they'd finally turn the tables, they buckled," he said. Meyers specifically criticized Schumer, who had asserted just a week earlier that Democrats were not giving up the "fight."
Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel echoed Meyers' criticism of Democratic Senate leadership, lambasting Schumer and the senators who, in his view, "caved" to Republicans. "At his age, its incredible that Chuck Schumer is still able to bend over so far. Chuck Schumer is basically every parent who tells their kid, 'Thats it, no more iPad!' And the next thing you know, you got Roblox at the dinner table. This was such a big cave, by the Democrats, Bruce Wayne offered to buy it," Kimmel said.
Sunny Hostin, co-host of "The View," was unequivocal in her criticism of Schumer the day after the shutdown vote, declaring that his days as Democratic leader are "over." Hostin expressed her desire for an "opposition party" that would stand against the Trump administration, arguing that "the Democrats caved" and "let down the American people." She also stated that she has "absolutely no faith" that Republicans would negotiate in good faith.
Hostin concluded, "So the bottom line is, the Democrats went into, after a blue wave, the American people saying, 'We do want [an] opposition.' The working people want the Democratic Party to fight for them. And now, they just caved and surrendered. I think Chuck Schumer his days are over. And if he cannot keep his caucus together, he needs to go. He needs to be replaced."
Fox News Digital reached out to Schumer's office for comment. Fox News' Hanna Panreck contributed to this report.
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