'They're trying to rig the system': Sen. Padilla says Dems should fight fire with fire
"If Republicans were confident on their policy agenda, they'd be eager to defend it with the people and to defend it at the ballot box next November," Padilla said in an Aug. 3 interview on NBC's "Meet the Press."
"But they know they're in trouble," he continued. "And so they're trying to rig the system to hold on to power."
The California senator was referencing Texas Republicans' proposed new map of their state's congressional districts, following President Donald Trump's urging that the GOP find a way to flip as many as five seats in next year's midterm elections.
"Just a very simple redrawing, we pick up five seats," Trump told reporters on July 15.
Padilla likened Trump's ask of Texas Republicans to his request during his first term in office that a top Georgia official "find 11,780 votes" to put him over the top in the Electoral College for the 2020 election.
Redistricting in the middle of the decade, rather than every ten years after new census data is collected, is rare. And the pushback from Democrats across the country has been widespread.
Blue state leaders have threatened tit-for-tat responses, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has suggested redrawing his state's map to counteract Texas' efforts. (Newsom faces the challenge of a bipartisan redistricting commission, which oversees California's maps, unlike Texas, where lawmakers dictate the boundaries.)
Some California Democrats are wary, warning that a redistricting arms race could spiral and erode trust with voters.
In response to those concerns, Padilla told NBC he believes it's appropriate for the Democrat-controlled state to evaluate its options.
"The ideal scenario," he said, "is for Texas to stand down. They don't have to do this; they shouldn't do this. But if they were to go forward and deliver Trump his five additional Republicans ... the stakes are simply too high" for Democrats not to respond.
Padilla also addressed recent comments from his fellow Democrats about the state of politics and American democracy, including Sen. Cory Booker's call for his party to "have a backbone."
"It's time for us to fight. It's time for us to draw lines," Booker said from the Senate floor on July 29.
Asked whether Booker's defiant approach was the appropriate stance for Democrats under the Trump administration, Padilla said, "Look, I think the extreme way in which this administration is conducting itself calls for higher and higher profile ways of pushing back."
After announcing that she would not be running for California governor in 2026, former Vice President Kamala Harris appeared on CBS's "The Late Show" with Stephen Colbert.
In her interview on July 31, Harris told Colbert, "Recently, I made the decision that, for now, I don't want to go back into the system. I think it's broken."
Padilla agreed, in part, with Harris' take, saying, "I think the system is under duress."
"Democrats are doing our part to try to stand up and push back," he added.
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And we are going to work on a solution with our trading partners. You might even say that he goaded China into a bad position. They responded — they have shown themselves to the world to be the bad actors. And we are willing to cooperate with our allies and with our trading partners who did not retaliate. It wasn't a hard message. Don't retaliate. Things will turn out well.' [unclear] 'I'll take a look at this. As time goes by, we're going to take a look at it. There are some that have been hard. There are some that, by the nature of the company, get hit a little bit harder. And we'll take a look at that.' [unclear] 'Just instinctively, more than anything else. I mean, you almost can't take a pencil to paper. It's really more of an instinct, I think, than anything else.' President Trump decided to pause his 'reciprocal' tariffs on most countries, excluding China, just hours after they went into effect. Credit Credit... Eric Lee/The New York Times … later on April 9 🌎 In an abrupt reversal, Mr. Trump said he would back down on his reciprocal tariffs for the next 90 days, bringing tariff levels to a universal 10 percent. China would not be included in that pause, he said. Instead, he raised tariffs on its exports to 125 percent after Beijing announced a new round of retaliation. April 10 🇨🇳🇪🇺 The White House clarified that the 125 percent tariff on Chinese goods was in addition to a 20 percent tariff that Mr. Trump had already imposed on China, bringing the total tariffs on China imposed by the Trump administration to 145 percent. The European Union announced a plan to pause its own reciprocal tariffs in response to Mr. Trump's reversal. Read more › April 11 🌎 Mr. Trump issued a ruling that spared many electronics — including smartphones, computers, semiconductors and routes and modems — from some new tariffs. The long list of imports, which include Chinese products, would be exempt from reciprocal tariffs, but other levies would still apply. Read more › April 13 🌎 The electronics exceptions announced on April 11 were recast as temporary by Mr. Trump and his top aides. Mr. Trump said he would be pursuing new tariffs on computer chips. Read more › April 29 🌎 Mr. Trump signed two executive orders that reversed course on some tariffs for carmakers. The 25 percent tariffs were modified so they would not be 'stacked' with other tariffs such as those on steel and aluminum, a White House official said. Read more › Video transcript Back bars 0:00 / 0:50 - 0:00 transcript U.S. and British Leaders Celebrate Agreement on Trade Framework President Trump and Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced an agreement for a trade framework over speakerphone. 'With this deal, the U.K. joins the United States in affirming that reciprocity and fairness is an essential and vital principle of international trade. We really do, we have a great relationship. I want to just say that the representatives of U.K. have been so professional, and it's been an honor doing business with all of them, and in particular the prime minister. And I'd like to introduce him now to say a few words. Mr. Prime Minister, please take it away.' 'Thank you, Mr. President — Donald — and this is a really fantastic historic day in which we can announce this deal between our two great countries. And I think it's a real tribute to the history that we have of working so closely together.' President Trump and Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced an agreement for a trade framework over speakerphone. Credit Credit... Eric Lee/The New York Times May 8 🇬🇧 The United States and Britain reached a deal that would reduce tariffs on some imports. Under the agreement, Britain would drop its tariffs on some U.S. products and the United States would pare back tariffs on cars and steel, while keeping a 10 percent levy in place for all British exports. But the deal has not been finalized, and there could be weeks of negotiations to come. Read more › May 12 🇨🇳 The White House agreed to back off, for now, from its steepest tariffs against China. Under the agreement, the United States would cut tariffs on Chinese imports to 30 percent from 145 percent, and China would reduce its levies on American goods to 10 percent from 125 percent. Read more › May 23 🇪🇺 In a post on social media, Mr. Trump threatened higher tariffs on the European Union, saying that discussions 'are going nowhere.' He recommended a 50 percent tariff on European imports that would begin June 1. Read more › May 25 🇪🇺 After a phone call with Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, Mr. Trump said he would delay imposing his threatened 50 percent tariffs on all imports from the European Union until July 9 to allow more time for trade negotiations. Read more › May 30 🌎 Speaking to steelworkers near Pittsburgh, Mr. Trump pledged to double tariffs on steel to 50 percent, from 25 percent. He also endorsed a 'planned partnership' between U.S. Steel and Nippon Steel before conceding that he had not seen or signed off on the details of the deal. Read more › June 4 🌎 Tariffs on steel and aluminum imports rose to 50 percent from 25 percent just after midnight. The White House said the increase would address 'trade practices that undermine national security.' Read more › June 16 🇬🇧 The United States and Britain finalized their trade agreement to lower tariffs on British cars, steel and aluminum, and aerospace equipment. Read more › June 27 🇨🇳 China confirmed the details of a trade framework with the Trump administration a day after Mr. Trump said his administration had 'signed' a deal with China. The deal, China's Ministry of Commerce said, would loosen exports of rare earth minerals to the United States and lift some restrictions on U.S. goods to China. Read more › July 2 🇻🇳 The United States agreed to a trade deal with Vietnam that would indirectly affect China, an important trading partner of Vietnam. The provision, Mr. Trump said, would impose a 20 percent tariff on all imports and a 40 percent tariff on any 'transshipping.' Read more › Video transcript Back bars 0:00 / 1:00 - 0:00 transcript Trump Says Countries Will Receive Letters About New Tariffs Speaking to the press after arriving at Joint Base Andrews, President Trump said the tariffs would range from 10 to 70 percent. 'It's a lot of money, but we're giving them a bargain,' Mr. Trump said. Reporter: 'For countries that don't get a letter right away and that you haven't made a deal —' 'No, we're going to start sending letters out to various countries starting tomorrow. We'll probably have 10 or 12 go out tomorrow and over the next few days, I think by the 9th they'll be fully covered and they'll range in value from maybe 60 or 70 percent tariffs to 10 and 20 percent tariffs.' And it's very important. It's a lot of money for the country. But we're giving them a bargain. Because if I went by the true deficits or by other ways of measuring, it could be a lot more. We don't want to, I don't want to stretch it too much. We want to keep it pretty reasonable. And I think it's actually I think it's very reasonable.' Speaking to the press after arriving at Joint Base Andrews, President Trump said the tariffs would range from 10 to 70 percent. 'It's a lot of money, but we're giving them a bargain,' Mr. Trump said. Credit Credit... Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times July 9 🌎 Mr. Trump informed at least 21 countries that their exports will face tariffs of at least 20 percent starting Aug. 1 unless they reach new trade deals with the United States. He threatened to raise rates further if countries tried to evade the U.S. duties or retaliated with their own import taxes. Read more › He also issued a 50 percent tariff on copper, effective Aug. 1. The move sent U.S. copper prices surging, and has caused concern in some of the industries Mr. Trump has said he wants to protect. Read more › Mr. Trump also said he planned to impose a 50 percent tariff on all Brazilian imports. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil promised to reciprocate. Read more › July 11 🇪🇺🇲🇽 Months of careful negotiations were upended when Mr. Trump said he would place a 30 percent tariff on goods from the European Union and Mexico. The tariffs would take effect on Aug. 1, he said in two letters posted on social media. He threatened to raise those rates even higher should the E.U. or Mexico issue retaliatory tariffs. Read more › July 14 🇪🇺 Maros Sefcovic, the European Union's key negotiator, said that Mr. Trump's about-face on tariffs was disappointing given he felt that the two sides were 'very close to an agreement.' Mr. Sefcovic spoke with his American counterparts almost every day last week, he said, and Mr. Trump's letter created 'a whole different dynamic.' Read more › President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico said her country is hoping to reach an agreement with the United States before Aug. 1. 'We do our part; they have to do their part as well,' she said. Read more › July 16 🇮🇩 Indonesia agreed to roll back multiple trade barriers to reach an agreement with the United States. U.S. exports to Indonesia would not be charged tariffs, and Indonesian goods would face a 19 percent tariff in the United States. 'We understand their interests, and they understand ours,' President Prabowo Subianto of Indonesia said. Read more › July 22 🇯🇵 In a social media post, Mr. Trump said he had reached a trade deal with Japan, calling it 'perhaps the largest deal ever made.' The Japanese government agreed to invest $550 billion in the United States, with the U.S. government receiving 90 percent of the profits. Japanese exports to the country would be charged a 15 percent tariff, instead the 25 percent tariff threatened by Mr. Trump. Read more › Video transcript Back bars 0:00 / 1:04 - 0:00 transcript U.S. and Europe Reach Preliminary Trade Deal With 15% Tariffs The deal, which would set a 15 percent tariff on most E.U. goods, averted what could have become a painful trade war with the United States' biggest source of imports. 'We are agreeing that the tariff straight across for automobiles and everything else will be a straight-across tariff of 15 percent.' 'Indeed, basically, the European market is open. It's 450 million people. So, it's a good deal. It's a huge deal. It was tough negotiations. I knew it at the beginning and it was indeed very tough. But we came to a good conclusion for both sides.' 'I think it's great that we made a deal today instead of playing games and maybe not making a deal at all. I think it's a — I'm going to let you say, but I think it's the biggest deal ever made. Thank you very much. Congratulations.' [clapping] The deal, which would set a 15 percent tariff on most E.U. goods, averted what could have become a painful trade war with the United States' biggest source of imports. Credit Credit... Tierney L. Cross/The New York Times July 27 🇪🇺 The United States and the European Union reached a trade deal that set a 15 percent base tariff on most E.U. exports, including cars. 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Read more › The United States also applied tariffs of 50 percent on Brazilian goods two days ahead of schedule and issued sanctions on the Brazilian judge who is overseeing the criminal case against former President Jair Bolsonaro, an ally of Mr. Trump. Read more › At the end of the day, Mr. Trump announced a trade deal with South Korea that placed 15 percent tariffs on South Korean goods. As part of the agreement, South Korea committed to investing $350 billion in the United States and will spend $100 billion on liqufieid natural gas. More announcements will be made when South Korea's president, Lee Jae Myung, visits Washington in two weeks, Mr. Trump said. Read more › Thailand and Cambodia also reached trade agreements with the United States, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said on Wednesday night. He declined to elaborate on details of the new tariff rates. Both nations had been facing a potential tariff rate of 36 percent. 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