On a Saturday in Washington, at an anti-Trump rally called 'No Kings,' Senator Adam Schiff was asked by a Breitbart News reporter whether Democrats would win back Congress, and twice he chose not to answer, saying only that he was heading to the march. Such a silence is one of the oldest moves in politics: a candidate who has no certainty to offer often offers none at all, and a crowd's attention can be a convenient shelter. The question was posed by an outlet with a clear point of view, and the only account of the moment comes through that lens, so what we know is a single pause on a single a
Schiff Declines to Say Whether Democrats Will Win House and Senate at DC 'No Kings' Protest
He said he was going to join the march, and didn't answer.
Mark
So what actually happened at the protest?
Mimi
Sen. Adam Schiff spoke by bullhorn at the "No Kings" march in Washington, and afterward a Breitbart reporter asked if Democrats would win the House and Senate. He said he was going to join the march and didn't answer, even when asked again.
Mark
Is that a big deal?
Mimi
It's a small moment. But it touches the question hanging over the midterms, which is how confident Democrats are willing to sound in public.
Luke
I'd keep it small. A politician declining to forecast at a march is common, and we don't know why he declined. Maybe caution, maybe he just wanted to march.
Mark
Does it matter that Breitbart reported it?
Mimi
It does. They asked the question and they're the only source for the exchange.
Luke
Right. It's a partisan outlet, and the account is one-sided. Nothing here includes a statement from Schiff's office.
Mark
And the Trump post?
Mimi
In August he floated a Republican convention before the midterms and said the party was poised to win big.
Luke
That's his claim. The fundraising comparison and the rest aren't backed up in this piece. We also don't know if the convention will happen.
Il Polso
- A reporter's pointed question about the House and Senate cuts through the noise of a crowded protest and goes unanswered.
- Schiff twice sidesteps the midterm question, offering an apology and a promise to join the march instead.
- The moment is captured by a partisan outlet that frames it as evasion, leaving no response from Schiff's office on the record.
- Trump's August claims of a possible pre-midterm Republican convention and a fundraising edge hang over the exchange, unconfirmed and unscheduled.
- Neither side has yet revealed its real expectations, and the outcome remains open as the election draws nearer.
On a Saturday in Washington, at an anti-Trump rally called 'No Kings,' Senator Adam Schiff was asked by a Breitbart News reporter whether Democrats would win back Congress, and twice he chose not to answer, saying only that he was heading to the march. Such a silence is one of the oldest moves in politics: a candidate who has no certainty to offer often offers none at all, and a crowd's attention can be a convenient shelter. The question was posed by an outlet with a clear point of view, and the only account of the moment comes through that lens, so what we know is a single pause on a single afternoon rather than any measure of what Democrats truly expect. Meanwhile, the midterms are still ahead, and the larger contest over who will hold power is only beginning to take shape.
On Saturday in Washington, Senator Adam Schiff, a California Democrat, finished addressing a crowd at the "No Kings" protest, a demonstration against President Trump. As he turned to leave the stage area, a reporter from Breitbart News asked him directly whether he believed Democrats would take back the House and the Senate.
Schiff did not answer. According to Breitbart, he said he was going to join the march and apologized. The reporter asked again, and he again avoided the question. A man standing beside him said they were not doing interviews at the moment and thanked the reporter, and the walk continued.
The account comes from Breitbart, a partisan outlet that was itself the party asking the question, and it carries no response from Schiff or his office. The encounter reveals only that one senator, at one rally, chose not to make a prediction. It offers no polling, no forecasts, and no statements from Democratic leaders about their chances.
The moment was set alongside a statement from President Trump, who in August suggested he might recommend a Republican National Convention just before the midterms. He claimed the party was doing very well, that millions had joined its effort, and that it had raised far more money than Democrats. Those claims remain his own, and the convention has not been scheduled or confirmed. How Democrats talk about their midterm chances, with confidence or with caution, will become clearer as the election approaches.
On Saturday in Washington, DC, Sen. Adam Schiff, a California Democrat, finished speaking through a bullhorn to a crowd at the "No Kings" protest, an anti-Trump demonstration. Then a reporter from Breitbart News put a question to him: did he think Democrats would take back the House and the Senate?
Schiff did not answer. According to Breitbart's account, he said he was going to join the march and apologized. The outlet says it asked the question a second time and that he again avoided it. A man standing in front of Schiff then said they were not doing interviews right now and thanked the reporter.
The account comes from Breitbart News, a politically partisan outlet that describes the protesters in its own loaded terms and was the party asking the question. Schiff's silence is therefore reported by a publication with a clear stance, and the source does not include any response from Schiff or his office beyond the words attributed to him at the scene.
The exchange took place with the midterm elections ahead. The source gives no polling, forecasts, or statements from Democratic leaders about their prospects, so the encounter shows only that one senator, at one rally, chose to keep walking rather than make a prediction. It does not show what he or his party actually expects.
Breitbart set the moment beside a statement from President Donald Trump. In August, Trump said he might recommend that the Republican Party hold a National Convention just before the midterms. In a social media post, he said the party was doing very well, that millions of people had joined its effort, and that Republicans were poised to win big in the midterms. He also claimed Republicans had raised far more money than Democrats and were fixing mistakes made by the Biden administration. He noted that such a pre-midterm convention had never been done before and told readers to stay tuned. Those are the president's claims, and the source offers no independent verification of the fundraising comparison or the other assertions.
What follows is open. Trump's proposed convention has not, according to this source, been scheduled or confirmed. And how Democrats choose to talk about their midterm chances, whether with confidence or with caution like Schiff's at the march, will become clearer as the election approaches.
Citazioni salienti
I'm gonna join the march, I'm sorry.— Sen. Adam Schiff, as reported by Breitbart News
We're not doing interviews right now, thank you.— Man standing in front of Schiff, as reported by Breitbart News
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