‘He Thought He Could Break Republicans’ [WATCH]

President Donald Trump criticized Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer during an interview on Fox News Monday, saying the Democratic leader “went too far” in his handling of the 42-day government shutdown that ended this week.

Appearing on “The Ingraham Angle” with host Laura Ingraham, President Trump said Schumer miscalculated by believing he could force Republicans to yield during the funding standoff. “I think he made a mistake in going too far,” Trump said.

“He thought he could break the Republicans, and the Republicans broke him.”

The shutdown, the longest in U.S. history, concluded after the Senate voted 60–40 on Monday to advance the House-passed bill to reopen the government.

The legislation is expected to clear the House later this week.

Eight Democratic senators broke from their party over the weekend to support the measure after the Democratic leadership had blocked the plan 14 times.

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The bipartisan vote weakened Schumer’s position and prompted new internal criticism from members of his own party. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and several other Democrats have since called for Schumer to be replaced as Senate leader.

President Trump said he has known Schumer for many years but described the senator as having changed dramatically over time.

“I feel badly ‘cause I know Chuck Schumer,” Trump said.

“Schumer is a Palestinian as far as I’m concerned. He used to be Jewish. He’s not Jewish anymore, he’s a Palestinian. Okay…”

President Trump on Chuck Schumer:

“Schumer is a Palestinian as far as I’m concerned. He used to be Jewish. He’s not Jewish anymore, he’s a Palestinian. Okay…”

😂😂 pic.twitter.com/zAxVSr2zCo

— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) March 12, 2025

The shutdown stemmed from a standoff between Congress and the White House over whether to extend enhanced Obamacare subsidies that are set to expire at the end of December.

The funding lapse led to thousands of federal employees being furloughed, flight cancellations across major airports, and delays in food assistance programs.

President Trump argued that Democrats’ true motivation was to preserve the extended subsidies, which he said disproportionately benefited illegal immigrants and inmates.

“What they really wanted was $1.5 trillion for people that came in illegally, people that come in through and out of prisons,” he said.

“We’re trying to get them out, because we don’t want 11,000 murderers in our country. You don’t. Nobody wants it,” Trump continued.

“And we have drug dealers, and we have everything else, and they wanted to make sure they got good healthcare.”

The president said that expanding coverage for illegal immigrants would “hurt other people’s healthcare” and contribute to rising costs.

He described Obamacare as “horrible” and unaffordable for working Americans.

“The premiums have gone up like rocket ships,” Trump said.

“And I’m not even talking about just recently, I’m talking about for years they’ve been going up.”

President Trump reiterated his support for expanding personal health savings accounts and allowing individuals to purchase insurance directly rather than through federal exchanges.

“I want, instead of going to the insurance companies, I want the money to go to an account for people where the people buy their own health insurance,” he said.

“They’re actually able to go out and negotiate their own insurance.”

When Ingraham asked how Republicans could prevent another shutdown when current government funding expires on Jan. 30, 2026, the president said he intends to pursue legislation that would prevent future shutdowns from being used as political leverage.

“Well, we’re trying to put in a bill, as you know, or a bill that you can never do that again,” Trump said.

“You can’t just shut down the government because you’re trying to renegotiate a deal that you didn’t.”

The remarks come as both parties regroup following the end of the shutdown, which exposed deep divisions among Democrats and renewed debates over healthcare spending and federal fiscal policy.