Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., was made fun of on social media on Sunday for touting a “very strong letter” that he and other Democratic lawmakers had sent to President Donald Trump regarding their concerns about the administration’s decision to freeze Harvard University’s federal funding under the guise of cracking down on antisemitism.
In an interview with CNN host Dana Bash, the New York senator acknowledged that Harvard and other elite universities have not done enough to address antisemitism, but said what Trump was doing went far beyond the issue.
“A bunch of us Jewish senators just sent a letter to the administration saying, detail the specific incidents of antisemitism and why cutting money off to cancer research or to Alzheimer’s research has anything to do with antisemitism. It doesn‘t,” Schumer said. “So we sent him a very strong letter just the other day asking eight very strong questions about why this isn‘t just a pretext.”
Schumer and four other Jewish senators demanded answers in a letter to the president on Thursday on the calculus behind penalizing Harvard University, its medical school and other collegiate institutions across the country under what they called the “pretext” of antisemitism on campus.
“Dear President Trump, we write regarding your administration’s assault on universities, including threats and actions to withhold funds or otherwise punish certain institutions of higher learning, in what you claim is an effort to eliminate the very real threat of anti-Semitism on college campuses,” the letter read in part.
Media figures and other liberals blasted Schumer’s self-described “strong” response.
“A strongly worded letter questioning POTUS strength. That should change things!” former NBC “Meet the Press” host Chuck Todd wrote on X, reacting to video of the interview.
Nina Turner, a Democratic commentator and former Ohio state senator, wrote, “Letters aren’t leadership,” on X in response to the clip of Schumer.
Ex-CNN host Chris Cillizza reacted to the clip of Schumer on X and published a Substack video criticizing Schumer.
“Give me a break, man. Okay, so like Schumer’s not helping himself here, right?” Cillizza said. “This is why people think elected officials are totally ineffective.”
He added that he laughed at Schumer for touting the letter, but did argue that there was not much Democrats could do about Trump right now.
On X he mocked the “very strong letter,” saying, “That should do the trick!”
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“If we all collectively send Schumer a very strong letter to pass the torch with eight very strong reasons think he’ll step aside?” Democratic Georgia state Rep. Ruwa Romman wrote on X, as well as Bluesky.
Jeet Heer, a correspondent for liberal publication The Nation, reacted to Schumer touting the letter as well, writing, “Imagine having this man be your standard bearer.”
Meidas Touch editor in chief Ron Filipkowski said, “Very strong letter should do the trick.”
“Sent a very strong letter? Seriously? He’s kidding, right? Please someone tell me he’s joking,” Claude Taylor, founder of the liberal Mad Dog PAC wrote.
Senior director of the left-wing org Voters of Tomorrow Jackson Hurley mocked the senator by suggesting he leave a bad “Yelp review” next.
“We cannot defeat fascism with strongly worded letters and a brief questionnaire,” said Melanie D’Arrigo of the Campaign for NY Health.
Author and former New York Times media reporter Bill Carter said, “just the idea that he wouldn’t know the ‘strongly worded letter’ has become a joke cliche that DEFINES an ineffectual pol is so telling. It plays as an admission that you have no real power and no idea how to get some.”
Schumer also dodged a question from Bash on whether Democratic lawmakers should prioritize impeaching President Donald Trump if they take back Congress during the interview as well.
“President Trump is violating rule of law in every way. And we’re fighting him every single day in every way. And our goal is to show the American people over and over again, whether it’s the economy, whether it’s tariffs, whether it’s Russia and overseas and whether it’s rule of law, how bad he is. And you know, two years is too far away to predict. Our job is day to day to day, to show who Trump is, what he is doing, and it’s having an effect,” Schumer said.
Schumer was heavily criticized by fellow Democrats after he backed the GOP spending bill to avoid a government shutdown.
Sunny Hostin, a liberal co-host of “The View,” accused Schumer of caving to Trump during an interview with the senator in March.
“I don’t think you showed the fight that this party needs right now. Because you’re playing by a rulebook, where the other party has thrown that rulebook away,” she said.
Schumer’s office did not immediately return a request for comment.