Trump teases Schumer about occasional Ocasio-Cortez challenge

Former President Trump teased Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) about an occasional challenge from progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), suggesting that she might run for Schumer’s seat.

“The Progressives gain far more power with the legislation being currently talked about by failing than if it passes,” Trump said in a statement issued through his Save America PAC on Friday.

“It makes them a true powerhouse. Next up, AOC running against Chuck Schumer for his US Senate Seat,” he continued.

Ocasio-Cortez, one of the central figures of the progressive wing, has been speculated to run for Schumer’s seat in 2022.

The New York congresswoman has not explicitly ruled out challenging Schumer. However, in a CNN interview aired in August, she said that she can’t operate the way she does while trying to aspire to other goals. 

“I know there’s a lot of people who do not believe that, but I really, I can’t operate the way that I operate and do the things that I do in politics while trying to be, aspiring to other things or calculating to other things,” Ocasio-Cortez said.

Trump’s statement on Friday came as Democrats scrambled to pass a bipartisan $1.2 trillion infrastructure package. Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) ultimately delayed the vote amid oppositions from progressives, who wanted to ensure that the package would be passed with the larger $3.5 trillion reconciliation package.