President Donald Trump took aim at Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on Monday, saying the New York Democrat overplayed his hand during the prolonged government shutdown and ended up being politically outmaneuvered by Republicans.
“I think he made a mistake in going too far,” Trump told Fox News during an interview on The Ingraham Angle.
“He thought he could break the Republicans, and the Republicans broke him.”
Trump, who has sparred with Schumer for years, said the Senate Democrat has lost the political instincts that once made him effective.
“I’ve never seen a politician change so much,” the president said. “He was a pretty talented guy. He’s lost his talent.”
Schumer is now under fire from members of his own party following Sunday’s procedural vote to reopen the government.
Critics accused him of failing to maintain party unity after seven Democrats and one Independent joined Republicans to advance a bill that did not include an extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies.
The Senate voted 60-40 to end the 41-day shutdown on Monday, paving the way for the House to consider the measure later this week.
The legislation would fund military construction, veterans affairs, the Department of Agriculture, and Congress through September 2026, while extending funding for the rest of the government through January 30.
The Democrats who voted in favor included Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen of Nevada, Tim Kaine of Virginia, and Democratic Whip Dick Durbin of Illinois. Independent Sen. Angus King of Maine also joined them.
Schumer voted against the measure, citing the expiring healthcare subsidies as a key reason for his opposition.
Trump commented that Schumer’s shifting political stance shows how far left Democrats have moved.
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“I feel badly ‘cause I know Chuck Schumer,” the president said. “I’ve known him since he was a person who loved Israel, and now he’s a Palestinian. He’s become a Palestinian. I’ve never seen a politician change so much.”
Progressive lawmakers quickly joined the backlash. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) claimed on social media that Schumer was “no longer effective” and called for new Senate leadership.
Senator Schumer is no longer effective and should be replaced. If you can’t lead the fight to stop healthcare premiums from skyrocketing for Americans, what will you fight for?
— Ro Khanna (@RoKhanna) November 10, 2025
“If you can’t lead the fight to stop healthcare premiums from skyrocketing for Americans, what will you fight for?” he tweeted.
In a follow-up interview, Khanna said, “He’s the leader of the Senate. This deal would never have happened if he had not blessed it.”
“Don’t take my word for it,” he added. “Take the word of other senators who are saying that they kept Sen. Schumer in the loop the whole time.”
Khanna acknowledged Schumer’s work on major legislation but argued the senator had lost touch with the party’s base.
“Look, I’ve worked with Sen. Schumer. He did an incredible job on the CHIPS Act, the Inflation Reduction Act, on infrastructure. But it’s time for him to be replaced. He is not meeting the moment,” Khanna said.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries defended his fellow New Yorker, telling reporters Monday that Schumer remains an effective leader.
“The overwhelming majority of Senate Democrats, led by Chuck Schumer, have waged a valiant fight over the last seven weeks, defeating the partisan Republican spending bill 14 or 15 different times,” Jeffries said.
He credited Schumer with standing up for Affordable Care Act tax credits and resisting what he called a Republican-led health care crisis.
Trump said Democrats’ true motivation in prolonging the shutdown was protecting billions in subsidies that he argued disproportionately benefit illegal immigrants.
“What they really wanted was $1.5 trillion for people that came in illegally, people that come in through and out of prisons,” he told Fox News.
“We’re trying to get them out, because we don’t want 11,000 murderers in our country. And we have drug dealers, and we have everything else, and they wanted to make sure they got good healthcare.”
He said that funding illegal immigrants’ healthcare would come at the expense of law-abiding citizens.
Trump continued his criticism of Obamacare, calling it “horrible insurance” that continues to drain working Americans.
“The premiums have gone up like rocket ships,” he continued. “And I’m not even talking about just recently — I’m talking about for years they’ve been going up.”
Over the weekend, Trump proposed an alternative plan that would cut out insurers altogether.
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— MAGA Voice (@MAGAVoice) November 8, 2025
Posting on Truth Social, he wrote that he wanted federal subsidies to go directly to Americans rather than insurance companies, allowing people to “feel like entrepreneurs” and negotiate their own coverage.
“I want the money to go to an account for people where the people buy their own health insurance,” Trump posted.
The president also outlined a new initiative to deliver $2,000 dividend checks to Americans, funded by tariff revenues.
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— MAGA Voice (@MAGAVoice) November 10, 2025
He described the policy as a way to return wealth to working families while rewarding American manufacturing.
“People that are against tariffs are fools!” he wrote. “We are now the richest, most respected country in the world, with almost no inflation and a record stock market price.”
“401(k)s are highest ever. We are taking in trillions of dollars and will soon begin paying down our enormous debt, $37 trillion,” he pointed out.
“Record investment in the USA, plants and factories going up all over the place,” Trump noted. “A dividend of at least $2,000 a person (not including high income people!) will be paid to everyone.”
Watch Trump’s full interview on Fox News here:
