Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said he was appalled that President Trump resorted to personal attacks as the two spent most of Thursday sparring over the government’s coronavirus response.
Trump sent a letter to Schumer, defending his administration’s handling of the pandemic, and also accused the top Democrat of getting caught up in the “impeachment hoax” and being “missing in action, except when it comes to the ‘press.'”
“No wonder AOC and others are thinking about running against you in the primary. If they did, they would likely win,” Trump wrote, referring to New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Later Thursday, Schumer demanded Trump “stop the pettiness.”
“I’m just appalled. I’d 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. Let’s get it done,” Schumer told MSNBC.
Before he received the letter, Schumer said he had encouraged Trump to appoint someone with a military background to oversee the production of medical equipment under the Defense Production Act. Trump said his administration already has a “senior military officer” in that role — Rear Adm. John Polowczyk, who is leading the supply chain task force at the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
“I spoke to the president late this afternoon and explained it,” the New York senator said, “and the result is this letter.”
