Trump: Ocasio-Cortez would beat Schumer

President Trump tweeted Monday morning that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) would win if she mounted a primary challenge to Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), adding that the progressive first-term lawmaker would “be a big improvement.”

“Actually, that would be a big improvement – and she would win!” Trump tweeted in response to a Washington Times article.

Actually, that would be a big improvement – and she would win! https://t.co/EzmOjNtYJS

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 22, 2020

The article, which notes Ocasio-Cortez’s surprise defeat of 10-term Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-N.Y.) in the 2018 Democratic primaries, appears to be based on a tweet by David Sirota, who served as a speechwriter in Sen. Bernie Sanders’s (I-Vt.) 2020 presidential campaign and urges Ocasio-Cortez to mount a primary challenge to Schumer in 2022.

Trump has predicted Ocasio-Cortez would primary Schumer before. 

“Because of how badly they did with the Impeachment Hoax, AOC will primary Cryin’ Chuck Schumer, and win,” he tweeted in February and reportedly made a similar claim at a White House lunch with reporters around the same time. Ocasio-Cortez has not expressed interest in a primary challenge to Schumer.

The president’s tweet comes ahead of New York’s closely watched Democratic primary on Tuesday, when polling and fundraising indicates educator Jamaal Bowman could pull off an upset against House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.). Numerous observers have compared the match-up to that of Crowley and Ocasio-Cortez in 2018. Schumer endorsed Engel last week, citing his “longtime, close friendship” with the 16-term Democrat.

“From taking on Donald Trump, to standing up for women’s right to choose to expanding affordable health care, to fighting for civil and human rights, Eliot Engel has been a strong and effective fighter for the people of his district and all Americans — and I am proud to endorse him,” Schumer said.