LIVE: Schumer Holds Post-Election Press Conference

All right everybody, so let me begin by just plagiarizing a little bit from Frankie Valli, a great New Jerseyite. Oh, what a night. Against all odds, Democrats have won the Senate and we And we have five words for the American people. Relief is on the way in 2025 when I said we could win back the Senate after we had lost the presidency and the Senate people roll their eyes, but we never wavered. And now we have won the Senate. What changed? What caused that change? First and foremost, our coalition moved as one body, House and Senate to define the issues that Americans cared most about. We talked to Americans. We said, what is on your minds? And, of course, number one, cost, the high cost of living, how difficult it was to raise a family and do the things you wanted to make sure that you'd have a good life and your kids would have a good life. And second, they talked about Trump's corruption. We know he was the most corrupt president ever by a lot, and people hated it. And so, I'll hear more about that later, but number one, the American people knew we were on their side. The second thing we did was we recruited great candidates who knew how to tailor their message to the states. Every one of the candidates that we recruited, whenever I talked to them, the number one thing that motivated them was patriotism. Each one of them could have gotten a different job, probably paid more, taken less time, but they believed in their states and they believed in their country. And as they campaigned, the American people saw that, that these were good people who really cared. And we have an amazing crop of new senators, and that is great. So what we have now seen, and this is really important, is a generational remake of the Senate map that is going to change America not only now but on into the future. When you have Democratic senators who are intent on working their states and showing people of their state what Democrats are really about, whether it's Iowa, whether it's South Carolina, whether it's Texas, it's going to make a huge difference. This, again, is a generational remake of the Senate map that has huge consequences for history. Well, in terms of the majority, and maybe it's now 54, it could go up to 55, it could go up to 56, but with this majority, Americans have given we Democrats the opportunity to prove ourselves worthy of their trust and that's the most important job even much more important than winning the election is doing things is saying not only have we listened to you and we are listening but we're going to do things to make your lives better. Many of the folks who voted for us yesterday of course are still skeptical. That's okay. These voters did not give us the majority so we can do whatever we want. They entrusted us with the majority to do what they, the American people, want. Republicans received that opportunity two years ago and completely squandered it. The GOP misread Americans' demand for change as a mandate to do Trump's self-serving bidding. And Trump spent half his time talking about things that were irrelevant to their lives, Annoying. The reflecting pool. The new wall. But most of the time he did things that hurt them. It raised their health care costs. It raised their electricity bills. It raised their fuel, their gasoline and diesel costs. Republican eyes were so glued to Trump's Truth Social feed that they missed the truth, staring them dead in the face. Americans hate the direction our country is going in right now. So now? Republicans, we're going to have to choose whether to keep listening to the nonsense that's coming out of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue or start acting in the interests of the American people. If they continue to embrace Trump, they're going to be following him right over the cliff, as this election has shown, and it'll get even worse for them. What is our assignment? First, Americans want Washington to bring down the cost of living. The anguish that American families feel as they ask themselves, do I pay for gas to drive to work or groceries to feed the kids? Do I pay for health care to keep my family healthy or electricity to keep my family warm this winter? Second, Americans want us to clean up corruption in government. They know that Trump is the most corrupt president in American history. No American should have to make trade-offs at the supermarket while Trump is making insider trades on the stock market. Americans are calling for accountability, not accommodation. And third, they want us to check on Trump's chaos at home and abroad. We've seen too many Americans die on our streets and in uniform overseas because of Trump's erratic judgment. The American people don't know what the heck we're fighting for in Iran. He's never made it clear. He changes his mind. Day-to-day and minute-to-minute, this war must end, it must end, and make no mistake, whenever Trump defies the will of the American people or the law, we will launch investigations, take him to court, and entangle him in legislative razor wire. The days of Trump's supplicant Senate are over. I'll have more to say in the coming days about how Democrats pulled off this victory, how our majority plans to deliver for the American people. But if there's one hopeful — I'd like to conclude on this note — if there's one hopeful, optimistic takeaway, we should remember that from this election, our democracy runs deep, very deep. Our founders created this amazing document, the Constitution. They envisioned co-equal branches of government. What they said was ambition was made to counteract ambition. But when ambition turns to blind loyalty, there's only one last firewall. They thought the legislature would check a king-like president. This legislature, this Senate, has failed. And so there was one last firewall. In our system of checks and balances, where power derives from the consent of the governed, elections have always been the strongest lever Americans have to counter a wannabe king, so long as Americans are willing to use it. Yesterday, America did. Even during the most difficult times, and these two years have been among them, Americans have never lost faith that they can change this country with their vote. The onus is now on us to prove them right. Have you spoken to the president yet about how you're going to be that firewall and what's your working relationship? No, not yet. Yes. Yes. How are Democrats going to end the war with Iran? Are you going to use defense funding as leverage? Look, we are going to end the war. We have some Republicans already who have joined us in ending the war. And the founding fathers had the power of the purse as one of the ways of deterring a president who does war without the consent of the American people. You took a lot of criticism in the last couple of years as leader by frustrated Democrats. Was this a vindication for you and your vision for the Senate in a place where red and purple stayed? This is not about me. This is about the American people. And what they want, and what they need, and what we can do to help them, plain and simple. Yes, Igor. Go ahead. No, Igor. Were yesterday's results a mandate for Donald Trump to impeach? I wouldn't... You know, you'll have to make... Everyone will make their own interpretation of what it meant in terms of excess. Yes. Look, What's going to be Democrats' approach to judicial nominations? Is this going to be a blanket hold, or is there room for a bipartisan vote? Look, we want judicial nominees like we showed in 23 and 24 who obey the law, who have fidelity to the rule of law. Too many of Trump's nominees did not have that at all. Yes. Senate Republicans ran on this message that Senate Democrats would abolish the filibuster, nuke the filibuster if you took control of the Senate. Do you, would you support nuking the filibuster at this point? Look, we are focused. The first thing we're going to do is reduce people's costs and work the legislative process so it does. Thank you, everybody. The Press Can you hear me work with the President, Mr. Chairman? We are going to, he asked, can I work with the president, okay? We are going to work hard, we are going to work hard to drive costs down with the president or without him, period. How are you going to deal with the people who are voting against you?