Democrats are starting to push for a stronger response to President Trump as his policies fuel anger with the party’s base.
Members of the party believe Trump has enjoyed a honeymoon period during his first month in office as Democrats have so far failed to coalesce around a unified counter-message — but at least some of them want that to change.
As frustration grows over Trump’s actions, including his efforts to dismantle parts of the federal government, some in the party are voicing the need to get tougher.
“He’s pushing the boundaries of a system as far as they can go,” said one Democrat who works for an outside organization planning to take action as part of the burgeoning new resistance.
“This guy is doing some crazy s–t,” a second Democrat, who is also involved in planning efforts, added. “This isn’t jamming through a nominee. This is when it starts to be alarming.”
It is a dramatic shift in tone for Democrats. After Trump won a second term in November, some Democrats — stung by the devastating election results — said they were willing to find ways to work with the incoming president. Even if they weren’t open to finding common ground with Trump, they said they didn’t want a repeat of the 2017 effort to immediately push back against him early on.
But less than a month into Trump’s return to the Oval Office, Democrats say a different kind of movement is emerging. Strategist Anthony Coley, who worked in the Biden administration, acknowledged the frustration among Democrats.
“The first phase of the last the weeks was Democrats being really gun-shy,” Coley said. “Now folks are really, really tired and can’t sit back and watch him destroy the country that we love without any pushback at all. That’s the phase we’re in now.”
Progressives in particular are tired of sitting on the sidelines. In recent weeks, they’ve watched quietly as the president’s early resurgence caused chaos and confusion. Behind the scenes, several told The Hill they have been plotting their course of action. Up until this point, many had been afraid to be blamed for his win and had uniformly gotten behind Democrats even when they were skeptical of their party’s direction.
That slow burn hasn’t been working, liberals agree, and are starting to try newer ways to call out Trump. Some are looking to the grassroots for reliable messengers. By doing so, they’ve frustrated centrist Democrats on Capitol Hill who have reportedly taken issue with leading activist-minded groups like MoveOn and Indivisible who want a more aggressive approach than what the party is currently pushing.
Progressives maintain that a stronger response is necessary from their flank amid moderates’ hesitation, which some believe is what helped bring back Trump.
“While Elon Musk is pouring gasoline and dropping lit matches across the federal government, voters don’t want their elected representatives acting like deer in the headlights,” said Karthik Ganapathy, a progressive strategist who worked for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
There’s an informal search for progressive leadership starting to take place. For now, many see Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) as being the most proactive and unapologetic member of Congress when it comes to Trump. She has been consistently poking the president and has gone after his allies like Musk and other billionaires on social media to provoke a response. It’s the clearest sign that she’s encouraging other Democratic lawmakers to play offense even when out of power.
“AOC in particular is modeling what effective, clear leadership looks like,” Ganapathy said. “Making sense of the chaos and helping people understand what they can do to make a difference. We need more members following her lead.”
The group that helped usher Ocasio-Cortez into office, Justice Democrats, has taken an outside-in strategy to Trump. They’ve started recruiting more left-wing candidates in hopes of ousting moderates who they see as ineffective at countering the right’s agenda. Progressives say the tactic is more necessary now than in previous cycles because Trump has expanded his own power in Washington. Activists close to the group see more progressive firepower as not only good for the party’s direction but also necessary for building a bench less afraid to fight against the GOP.
While some have taken a candidate audit, by focusing on adding more talent gearing for combat, others on the left have become increasingly focused on certain policies and public sentiments. The most notable many have highlighted is the unequal distribution of wealth that Trump has flaunted since his inauguration by prioritizing the most elite members of society. Despite winning over a working-class coalition to make his return to office possible, the president has sent a message that he values the ideas of ultra-rich innovators to guide his policies.
Progressives are identifying openings in that lane, with some honing in on what they see as Trump’s authoritarian mindset around money in politics. While Ocasio-Cortez is leading the left’s anti-Trump effort in the House, newer voices in the Senate are also showing up to make that case. Beyond Democratic socialist Sanders, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) is laying out attacks that show a distinction between Trump’s Republican Party and Democrats, especially around economic anxiety. Some on the left want him to take the critiques even farther and disregard shrugs from within their party.
“If he really says what I think he should say the invitations to go on MSNBC will magically suddenly dry up,” said Matt Duss, a former senior advisor to Sanders in the Senate, urging Democrats to unify around a popular anti-corruption message.
While progressives favor a bomb-throwing style to get their message across, Coley said Democrats have to be methodical about how they’re communicating this time around. The right is more activated and has shown an interest in sparring with liberal leaders. Musk and other Trump allies have called for members of the Squad to face primary challengers, hoping to extinguish any grassroots style uprising they’re looking to mount.
“The media ecosystem has evolved substantially,” he said. “To be successful, Democrats are going to have to learn how to do that successfully. They can’t just put out statements and press releases that have been reviewed five times. They’ve got to speak authentically.”
But Coley also cautioned that Democrats “can’t chase every car.”
“They’ve got to be thoughtful and strategic and fast,” he said.
