Since election night two months ago, Democrats on Capitol Hill have been quietly grappling with the issues that will define the next four years of their political career. Anti-Trump resistance politics in the ruins And with much of the Democratic coalition moving to the right, how far should Democrats go to support the MAGA movement they have spent years denouncing as dangerous?
The question of how or whether to align with Donald Trump on policy has divided the party and even the progressive movement. Left-handed Congressman Ro Khanna (Democrat of California) calls for bipartisan engagement Elon Musk's collaboration with government efficiency groups has led to an outpouring of venom from progressives, for whom Musk is a special kind of venom. Others, including strategist David Axelrod, have flatly rejected the idea that Trump would consider working with Democrats.
If Democrats want to win back voters who abandoned them in November, they will need to learn how to win as much as possible in a government dominated by an ideology they detest. Some people may be angry to hear this, but politics is the art of taking advantage of bad situations. Even in the darkness of Trumpism, Democrats have a real opportunity to bring real positive change to voters. You should.
Khanna is too idealistic about Musk's actual intentions for DOGE, but he's right about how important it is for Democrats to avoid becoming the new “party of no.” Democrats may find President-elect Trump's allegorical populism embarrassing, but Most voters support his harsh words About immigration, high prices, and America's global competitiveness. Ignoring that reality will leave the Democratic Party in a bind in 2024, with little room for a repeat two years later.
There are also obvious weaknesses that Democrats can exploit. Voters remain skeptical of President Trump Threat of tariff increasesand they don't agree with him sympathetic opinion against the world's dictators. These differences of opinion are particularly evident among the following people: Young voters shifted to Trump In November. But first, Democrats need to get voters to listen to them again — and in a way that undermines the Republican message that Democrats are only interested in thwarting President Trump's policies in a second term. That's true.
The roadmap is there. Trump's rough approach That means he needs Congress to flesh out the details of how he will achieve his lofty (and often contradictory) goals. This is a wider playing field than Democrats realize, and participating in the process of making a bad bill better won't diminish the party's legitimate criticism of President Trump's crazy platform. But unlike when Republicans enjoyed the influence of divided government, Democrats now find themselves with few levers to pull to significantly slow down the legislative process.
So where can Democrats get such a victory? Above all else, immigration reform.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has already proposed combining increased funding for border security with a deal that would give legal status to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, commonly known as “Dreamers.” negotiations with the Republican Party have begun. Trump's own position is ambiguous. As the president-elect said just last month, Supports DREAMershe has yet to outline a clear policy mechanism for the anticipated immigration package. Although Democrats may be hesitant to help enact immigration policies that President Trump has long opposed, a deal could help repair their position. Immigration's tattered public image It is also about securing a resolution that has long been a wish of immigrants brought to this country as children.
Acknowledging the unpopularity of immigrants would also help Democrats restart dialogue with the immigrant communities that supported Trump in November. This voting bloc had long been a Democratic supporter until a major shift in 2024, but disagreements over immigration policy have long robbed Democrats of support from immigrants. Those voters tell pollsters: I don't feel fully represented. by either political party. They support DREAMers, but are aligned with Republicans on border security. Democrats can win back these voters, but it will require a willingness to bend.
Democrats also have surprising similarities with MAGA's populist base. That said, both groups believe in taxing the super-wealthy. President Trump's ally Steve Bannon: “We need to raise taxes on the wealthy'' I did it again last month on his show “War Room.” Many working-class MAGA voters feel the same way, and for all its faults, Trump's movement has been largely built on actually listening to his base. It may seem strange that the next president would be the next president. permanently shaded By Billionaire Elon Musk may be willing to raise taxes on his wealthy donors, but we live in interesting times.
President Trump's transactional approach to politics means there are no lasting alliances, even between the Republican Party and the super-rich. If President Trump believes that raising taxes on the wealthy is the way to win the other victories he cares about most, then Democrats must be willing to take seriously the president-elect's whims. . Otherwise, the left will be left out of the picture as Republicans spend the next two to four years enacting their vision for America.
Max Burns is a veteran Democratic strategist and founder of Third Degree Strategies.
