The Democratic minority leader in the U.S. Senate, Chuck Schumer, warned that the country is on a “path toward dictatorship.” In an interview with CNN, Schumer accused President Donald Trump of turning the Department of Justice into “an instrument that goes after his enemies, whether they are guilty or not,” adding: “That is what dictatorships do.” Trump, for his part, wrote on his Truth Social platform on Saturday calling on Attorney General Pam Bondi to take action against certain political opponents.
The president argued that Democrats had twice subjected him to impeachment and taken him to trial five times, “without any reason.” “Justice must be established now!” he demanded. Trump did not respond to Schumer’s accusations but was seen boarding Air Force One near Washington to attend the funeral of activist and podcaster Charlie Kirk in Arizona. Kirk, a Trump ally, was assassinated during an attempted attack on September 10.
Critics and organizations such as Reporters Without Borders accuse Trump of using Kirk’s death to further undermine press freedom and intensify repression against political opponents. In his message, Trump directly named Democratic Senator Adam Schiff of California and New York Attorney General Letitia James, both of whom have been involved in multiple investigations against him. Trump views these as a politically motivated “witch hunt.” He called on Bondi to investigate Schiff and James, insisting: “We can no longer hesitate.
This destroys our reputation and credibility.” Trump’s ally Bill Pulte, head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), also accused Schiff, James, and other critics of falsifying mortgage applications, though he provided no evidence. For her part, James has pursued Trump in civil court for artificially inflating the value of his real estate assets to obtain favorable conditions from banks and insurance companies.
In February 2024, Trump was fined a total of 464 million euros, a ruling overturned by a New York appeals court in August as “excessive.” James has vowed to continue pursuing the case in higher courts. Schiff, meanwhile, played a key role in Trump’s first impeachment process during his first term (2017–2021), when he was still a member of the House of Representatives.
At the time, Democrats accused Trump of pressuring Ukraine to investigate his rival, Joe Biden. However, the Republican-controlled Senate blocked the conviction. Now, Schumer warns that Trump’s pressure on the Department of Justice and his attacks on opponents represent a turning point. “We are not just seeing political disagreements. We are seeing the erosion of the very pillars of democracy,” Schumer said.
