Schumer responds to Trump letter calling him a ‘bad’ senator, ‘I’m just appalled’
Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said he was "appalled" over a letter from President Trump, in which the president criticized the Democratic leader as a "bad" senator and vulnerable to a primary challenge from the left.
Trump released the letter to Schumer after the New York senator sent his own letter asking the president to name a military official as a czar to oversee production and disbursement of medical equipment and invoke the Defense Production Act.
"I spoke to the president late this afternoon and explained it and the result is this letter. So I'm just appalled. You know I say to the president just stop the pettiness. People are dying and so, President Trump, we need leadership. We need to get the job done. Stop the pettiness," Schumer told MSNBC's Chris Hayes on Thursday night.
"I sent the letter with the best of intentions," Schumer added.
Schumer and Trump spoke twice by phone this afternoon, according to the Democratic senator's office.
After Schumer explained what actions he was requesting Trump take, the president, according to Schumer's office, "said he was already in the process of sending a 'very nasty letter' to Sen. Schumer, but he would try to stop it from going out and would apologize to Sen. Schumer if he didn’t stop it in time."
The White House didn't immediately respond to a request for comment about the details of the phone call between Trump and Schumer.
The two New Yorkers have revived their running war of words amid the coronavirus crisis, which has killed 5,926 Americans as of Thursday evening according to Johns Hopkins University.
Schumer, during a TV hit on Wednesday night and again in a letter Thursday, urged the president to put a military official in charge of overseeing the coronavirus supplies effort amid reports from states and hospitals that they are under-equipped for the growing number of cases.
"The existing federal leadership void has left America with an ugly spectacle in which States and cities are literally fending for themselves, often in conflict and competition with each other, when trying to procure precious medical supplies and equipment," Schumer wrote.
Schumer's office noted that in his most recent phone call with Trump, Schumer explained how he had spoken with Peter Navarro, who has been tapped to enforce the DPA, "but felt that person was not up to the job." He also told Trump that he was "concerned" about Rear Adm. John Polowczyk, who is leading FEMA’s supply chain task force.
Trump lashed out at Schumer in his letter, accusing him of using "incorrect sound bites" when talking about the administration's efforts.
"If you spent less time on your ridiculous impeachment hoax, which went haplessly on forever and ended up going nowhere (except increasing my poll numbers) and instead focused on helping the people of New York, then New York would not have been so completely unprepared for the 'invisible enemy.' No wonder AOC and others are thinking about running against you in the primary. If they did, they would likely win," Trump wrote.
