Schiff and Pelosi take Trump threats seriously, and as more proof he's unfit for office

In recent days on the campaign trail, former President Donald Trump has made thinly veiled threats toward two of his most prominent political opponents in California, suggesting that both former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Adam B. Schiff are enemies of the country who may need to be handled with force if he wins the White House.

In an interview on Fox News on Sunday, Trump suggested he may call in the U.S. military after the presidential election to handle "radical-left lunatics" such as Schiff, whom he called an "enemy from within." When asked about those comments at a town hall in Georgia on Tuesday, Trump doubled down, saying Democrats such as Pelosi are "evil" and more dangerous than China or Russia.

Trump's remarks, downplayed by his fellow Republicans, drew immediate condemnation from Democrats, including his opponent Vice President Kamala Harris and Schiff. The Burbank congressman led multiple investigations of Trump in the House and is now running for California's open U.S. Senate seat.

"When a would-be despot tells you who they are," Schiff tweeted, "you should believe him."

Schiff's response was in line with others he and Pelosi have made about Trump's threats in the past. In recent interviews with The Times, both California Democrats said they take Trump's attacks on them seriously — especially given a recent Supreme Court decision granting sitting presidents unprecedented immunity from criminal prosecution for actions they take in their official capacity.

They said they also take his threats against them as more proof he should never hold office again, and as evidence of the broader menace he would pose to anyone else who dared stand in his way.

Pelosi, who still represents her San Francisco congressional district, said she was worried that if Trump were to win, "not just us, but many other people would be targeted."

"And just the very thought of it just tells us why he shouldn't be elected. How disreputable it is for a person to say I'm going to be president and target [my political rivals] for retribution as a dictator on Day One, and immunized by his rogue court," Pelosi said. "Shameful all around."

The fear that she and Schiff have about extrajudicial attacks from Trump should he win office again is an "individual fear that we sign up for, because we know he's crazy" and must be confronted, Pelosi said.

She said Americans should be afraid of Trump because "his policies are anti-meeting their needs, only caring about himself and giving tax benefits to the richest and biggest corporations in America," but also because he undermines American security by palling around with dictators and alienating allies.

"He didn't even know what NATO was before he ran for office, I don't think," Pelosi said.

Trump's ire toward Democrats generally and toward Pelosi and Schiff specifically grows largely from him being targeted by investigations both during and after his presidency. In addition to be impeached twice, Trump has been charged with a slate of crimes in state and federal courts. He was convicted of 34 felonies in New York, in a case related to his paying hush money to a porn star who alleged an affair, and continues to face election interference charges in federal court and in Georgia.

Trump has dismissed each probe as a "witch hunt" or a "hoax" orchestrated by Democrats to topple him from power.

Trump has railed against Pelosi in particular as a "crazy" liberal who ruined California in the past, even as he has begrudgingly acknowledged the former House speaker's effectiveness as a Democratic tactician. He also mocked a violent attack on her husband, Paul, by an intruder at their San Francisco home in 2022.

Schiff said Trump's attacks on his political rivals are textbook authoritarianism, and provide a window into the sort of president he would be if he wins a second term — especially given the Supreme Court ruling.

Trump's penchant for authoritarianism would make it more vital than ever that Congress continue to carry out its constitutional duty to oversee and check the worst impulses and misdeeds of the president were he to win, Schiff said. It's part of why he has been campaigning for and giving money to other Democrats running for Congress, he said.

"It's absolutely essential that Democrats have majorities and that we continue to do vigorous oversight and if necessary, hold him accountable again, because the Supreme Court has decided that he is unbound, unshackled by criminal law," Schiff said. "He can be whatever kind of criminal he wants as president and he is practically untouchable. So Congress' role as the essential guardrail has only become more and more important."

Schiff said a Trump win would no doubt "elevate the personal risk" for him and Trump's other critics, but they aren't backing down.

Schiff helped investigate Trump's campaign ties to Russia at the start of Trump's presidency, helped lead Trump's impeachment for soliciting political favors while withholding military aid from Ukraine, and helped investigate Trump's incitement of the Jan. 6. 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters intent on blocking the certification of President Biden's election — for which Trump was impeached a second time.

For that work, Trump has called Schiff a "traitor" who should be ousted from office and severely punished. He also accused Pelosi of treason.