Here we are. Last week, Trump crossed Democratic Senate Leader Chuck Schumer’s explicit red line.
Here’s Schumer on March 19th, speaking about his abject capitulation to allow a fascist Republican budget to pass and refusal to filibuster and stage a shutdown confrontation (and his mostly-abandoned priority to lie to the public that he was fighting rather than capitulating):
If Trump doesn’t obey the Supreme Court—which may happen, you led up to it here—then, we will have two courts. We will have the federal courts, which hopefully John Roberts will stand up and make it happen, but we will have the court of public opinion. And if that happens, as you pointed out, we’ve had rule of law since we’ve had the Magna Carta, OK? And if that happens, and the rule of law goes by the wayside, I believe that there will be… immediate and strong reaction from one end of the country to the other in ways that we have never seen. And that’s what will happen. And it’s not just up to us. The people will have to rise up. Not just Democrats, not just Republicans, not just, y’know, people, everybody. But our democracy will be at stake then. And if the people make their voices heard and are strong and stand up, and we join them, I believe we can try to beat that back. We can beat that back. But on that one, if democracy is at risk—that’s a little different than what we’re talking about now, even a shutdown, as horrible as it is—we’ll all have to stand up and fight back in every way.
Schumer made his red line clear: if Trump defies the Supreme Court, democracy is at mortal risk, and Democratic congresspeople must do everything to stop him.
(Put aside for now Schumer’s sickeningly monumental lie that democracy wasn’t yet at risk last month, along with his abrogation of agency for determining Trump to be in violation of the Constitution and the law, in deference to this Supreme Court.)
Now Trump is openly, gleefully defying a Supreme Court order to return a person, Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, who he illegally and unconstitutionally rendered to a foreign torture prison. He did so flagrantly without due process, thus establishing that he could do it to anyone.
People all across the country, including in places that have never seen protests of this size or even this kind before, rose up and called for the Trump regime to stop this and many other attacks on the country, for the Trump regime to end even. Some called upon Congress to impeach Trump and remove him from office.
Even Republican voters at Republican congresspeople’s town halls are hopping mad at the Trump regime, perhaps mostly about other things, but still.
All of Schumer’s ostensible conditions are met. Even according to Schumer’s stunted, corrupted measure, Trump is in the middle of destroying democracy and justice.
What is Schumer’s response? His great clarion call to save the country from mortal peril? His valiant charge to lead the Senate to the rescue?
His statement:
President Bukele’s comment today is pure nonsense. The law is clear, due process was grossly violated, and the Supreme Court has clearly spoken that the Trump administration must facilitate and effectuate the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia. He should be returned to the U.S. immediately.
Due process and the rule of law are cornerstones of American society for citizens and noncitizens alike and not to follow that is dangerous and outrageous. A threat to one is a threat to all.
That’s it.
And what unilateral action? What direction to guide Senate Democrats and the country?
Nothing.
At all.
Which is as Schumer telegraphed even in his earlier protestations. I’m not the only one to notice:
WE'RE WAITING
OK, Chuck Schumer. Trump Just Crossed Your Red Line. Now What?
By Aaron Regunberg, The New Republic, April 15, 2025
The Democratic leader said he’d take “extraordinary action” if the president disobeyed the Supreme Court. Well, Trump is doing exactly that by refusing to bring back Kilmar Abrego Garcia from El Salvador.
The country cannot withstand this abandonment of the oath of office, this enormous vacuum of leadership.
It isn’t withstanding it.
The next few weeks are it. Two or three more months like this, and widespread terror will set in to the point where resistance becomes a rearguard action as the Trump regime forecloses upon any feasible escape route from fascism.
We plead with Senate Democrats to choose a new leader and a new direction.
What of Democratic House Leader Hakeem Jeffries?
Donald Trump and his cruel, mean-spirited administration wrongfully deported Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia to El Salvador, ripping him away from his family and putting his life in grave danger. Mr. Abrego Garcia must be returned immediately before he is killed in one of the most dangerous prisons in the world. Enough with the fake bravado. This is not America. The Supreme Court must aggressively enforce its order immediately.
Ah yes, that classic Democratic appeal to higher authority, for someone else (especially Republicans) to take care of it, despite Democrats having legitimate lanes of action of their own, sworn obligation even.
It should be the explicit Democratic Party position that the racist, illegal, unconstitutional Trump regime should be removed from office, for the good of the country.
Even if it isn’t removed, it’s important officially to declare that it should be, with articles of impeachment (and not just for Trump) introduced as privileged resolutions to force floor votes. It sets the public expectation that the Trump regime’s removal is what should happen. It sets the conditions for pressure to ratchet up further after the next Trump regime atrocity. Meanwhile, not doing so signals that Democrats find fascism objectionable but fundamentally acceptable.
So far just 13 House Democrats are upholding their oaths of office. Is your representative doing so?
