Democrats say one thing is certain when it comes to the Trump administration: 2025 will not be 2017.
Two months after a disastrous and disappointing White House loss to President-elect Trump and their failure to retake the House or maintain a Senate majority, Democrats have found a place for lawmakers to work together on President Trump's second term. I admit that I have to.
Democratic strategist Joel Payne said the results had a “punitive impact” on the party, which will rethink the way it does business and communicates with voters who are dissatisfied with Democratic lawmakers. He said it was out of necessity.
“Smart Democrats are now listening and being open-minded and accepting of the political environment,” he said.
“You're going to see Democrats try to better understand where their voters are, go to places that are considered unfriendly, and partner with people who are unlikely to be allies,” Payne said. added.
Democratic Party officials say the mood and outlook is in stark contrast to eight years ago, when Trump won an unexpected victory in the 2016 presidential election.
The term “resistance” was coined in opposition to Trump after Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton lost an election where she won the popular vote, and it became part of the Democratic Party's cliché. In the years that followed, Democrats consistently sought to oppose the president, refusing to support Republican legislation and launching a series of Trump-related investigations.
Democrats also impeached Trump twice.
But Democratic strategist Jamal Simmons said he expects party members to tone down their rhetoric and hostility in the first months of the Trump administration. Simmons predicted that Democrats will learn from the results of the presidential election and respond “selectively and combatively” to President Trump's actions.
“I don't think there are any voters who expect Democrats to be able to fight Trump at every turn,” Simmons said. “They want something that has important consequences. You're either trying to do something important or you're part of the problem.
“That's why I don't think saying 'no' is a great strategy,” he said, adding that while few Democrats would praise the president directly, many would be willing to quietly work with Republicans. .
In a New York Times op-ed this week, Rep. Tom Suozzi (N.Y.) wrote that the Democratic Party should not be the party of no during the second Trump administration.
“I know my party will be tempted to take a firm stand against Mr. Trump at every turn. We will oppose his legislation, block his nominees, and support him in the House and Senate. The aim is to shatter and shut down the mechanism of the system,” Suozzi wrote. “That would be a mistake.”
The congressman said he was “not a sucker” and that some of Trump's moves and machinations “lead to little reassurance that he is willing to embrace the bipartisanship and compromise that is essential for a functioning democracy.” However, he urged party members to “try something different next time.'' That's a question for the next president. ”
The Democratic Party is still in the midst of post-election research and has almost reached the conclusion that it cannot simply become the anti-Trump party. Voters in the 2024 election wanted clear solutions on the economy and border, but were not satisfied with the Democratic response, party officials acknowledge.
“They weren't interested in hearing from us,” said one aide who worked on Vice President Harris' presidential campaign. “That’s the main thing.
“I think we have to get to a position as a political party where we are listening to our voters and not just pretending we are listening to them.”
As President Trump heads into his second term, some Democratic lawmakers have already expressed support for the president-elect's cabinet reshuffles and initiatives he proposes.
Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) told the Detroit Free Press in November that while some Democrats would oppose Trump's nominees overall, she said He said he would vote.
“Some people may not, but I was able to see all the documents in the file,” she said.
And after President Trump announced the creation of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vermont) joined the initiative, co-chaired by Elon Musk and Elon Musk. was the first to express support. Vivek Ramaswamy.
“Elon Musk is right,” Sanders wrote in a post on social platform X. “The Pentagon, with an $886 billion budget, just failed its seventh consecutive audit. Billions are missing. Last year, the military-industrial complex and the defense budget, full of waste and fraud, Only 13 senators voted against it.
“That has to change,” he added.
At the same time, Democrats acknowledge that they cannot give President Trump a clean slate. They believe that even if voters express doubts, Trump's second term could be dangerous because he is a threat to democracy and there are no so-called guardrails for the next president in a second term. I still believe there is.
“That's part of the problem we're dealing with,” said one Democratic strategist. “Trump is going to make some crazy proposals. There's no guarantee that some of these proposals are reasonable.
“Also keep in mind that I don't think he wants to work with us,” the strategist added.
Still, some Democrats acknowledge they need to change their approach if they want different outcomes in the 2026 midterm elections and the next presidential election in 2028.
“I think the Democrats are sending a signal that if something good happens with President Trump, we're willing to accommodate it,” said another strategist.
