With President Trump pushing hard to change the federal government, Democrats have retreated into a political crouch that reflects their impotence in Washington.
Opposition party lawmakers, far from rising, opposition party lawmakers have adopted a muted approach End of birthright citizenshipIN Stopping diversity programs in the federal government Cancel foreign policy alliances And seek retribution against his perceived political enemies.
In some cases, Democrats even demonstrate working with Republicans.
Many of them voted for Laken Riley Lawwhich allows for the deportation of unauthorized migrants who are accused but not yet convicted of crimes. Others have volunteered to work with Republicans on a border security bill. And while Democrats are battling nominees Pete Hegseth as defense secretary and Tulsi Gabbard as national intelligence director, Mr. Trump's other appointees are emerging on a gliding path to confirmation without much vocal opposition.
This suggests that in the early days of the new Trump administration, the loudest reversal in presidential policy came not from an elected Democrat, but from bishop at Washington National Cathedralwho asked Mr. Trump directly during the service to make peace with immigrants and LGBT children.
“We're not trying to win the news cycle anymore,” said Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii, a Democrat who has become an outspoken messenger for his party on social media. “We are trying to win an argument and it will take time, patience and discipline.”
A group of 70 progressive House Democrats and six Senate Democrats gathered at the Capitol on Thursday to try to pin down one message for Mr. Trump's opposition as he pursues countless liberal constituencies and priorities. The assembled Democrats concluded that their best course of action was to focus on economic problems, which they believed led to the party's November defeats.
Representative Greg Casar, a Texas Democrat who chairs the Congressional Progressive Caucus, called the meeting. He said Mr. Trump's control of the federal government, coupled with his allies' ownership of major social media companies, meant Democrats needed to be on the block, with a focused opposition message to voters.
“It will be very important for Democrats to point out what Trump's real intentions are, which is to infiltrate pocket book issues in the service of the mega-rich,” Mr. Casar said.
The Democratic position is a dramatic change from last year, when Mr. Trump took office. That period, in 2017, was defined by public demonstrations of resistance, the mobilization of new liberal groups and palpable anger over the results of an election that many in the party considered illegitimate.
This time, Mr. Trump won the popular vote, and there were no noises of significant foreign interference in the election. And he issued so many new policies and executive orders that Democrats were left speechless.
“It feels like we're fighting fires in Los Angeles and the wind is 100 mph and it's contained at zero percent,” said Matt Bennett, founder of Third Way, a left-of-center think tank. “We'll just have to wait until the wind calms down a little. It will be a minute before Democrats can get an effective response.”
Some Democrats believe Mr. Trump has already made significant mistakes that will cause political damage to him and Republicans.
His far-reaching forgiveness For the people convicted of attacking police officers at the Capitol on January 6, 2021, has already led to uncomfortable responses from Republicans. Democrats are also quick to point out that few of Mr. Trump's early actions dealt with inflation or food prices – top issues for voters that he promised during the campaign to prioritize.
And in a sign that a significant rollback in Mr. Trump's policies is likely to come from state capitals rather than Washington, 22 government attorneys. sued the federal government Block Mr. Trump's executive order directing the government not to recognize U.S.-born children of unauthorized immigrants as citizens. (Not all of these left-leaning attorneys general wanted to talk about their legal challenge, however—in Washington, D.C., the usually lead prosecutor didn't issue a press release and refused to discuss it.)
In Wisconsin, Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, devoted 11 paragraphs in his annual state address Wednesday night to defending immigrants' contributions to Wisconsin, although he did not mention Mr. Trump by name.
“Wisconsin, we cannot allow reckless decisions in Washington to stall our economic momentum,” Mr. Evers said. “I will not compromise our values at Wisconsin to treat people with kindness, dignity, empathy and respect.”
And in Newark, Mayor Ras J. Baraka on Thursday condemned immigration raid in which he said that a US military veteran had been detained.
“Newark will not stand while people are illegally terrorized,” Mr. Baraka said.
But the Democratic pushback hardly matched Mr. Trump's larger movements or the sense of panic that has entered many liberal American communities.
Representative Haley Stevens, a Michigan Democrat, said her teenager Godson encouraged her to report that he saw on Snapchat that people were gathering for deportation from their local mall. (Ms. Stevens said she investigated and found this to be untrue.)
“We can't be in a constant state of hysteria,” Ms Stevens said. “But we don't want to be Pollyanna either.
Democratic officials, whose constituents are directly exposed to Mr. Trump's policies, are less willing to give the party time to think about how to respond.
Cristobal Alex, a former Biden administration official who is now chairman of the Latino Victory Fund, noted Mr. Trump's early moves: reaching out to billionaire executives, ending Biden's caps on insulin prices, pardoning rioters. Seeking to end citizenship by primogeniture.
“This is a great time for Democrats to rise up,” Mr. Alex said.
Still, many Democrats want to send the message that they are trying to work with the new Trump administration. Thirteen Democratic senators signed the letter. Senator John Thune of South Dakota, the Republican majority leader, asking him to participate in Mr. Trump's proposed legislation to overthrow the country's immigration system.
“We are ready to work with you,” the senators wrote.
Some Democratic officials attributed the party's indecisiveness and confusion to a lack of clarity from voters.
While anger – and money – fueled the so-called resistance of 2017, Mr Trump's second coming was met with liberal resignationField Nobody in the world of politics or culture has emerged with a compelling and consistent anti-Trump message since his victory over former Vice President Kamala Harris and the social media platforms that hosted many influencers eight years ago are now owned by Mr..
Patrick Gaspard, president of the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank, said the lack of Democratic mobilization was not surprising given that few in the party were shocked by Mr. Trump's 2024 victory. Democrats, he said, must take time to decide how best to confront him and Republicans.
“This guy throws a bunch of cham into the water and we can't go after all this,” Mr. Gaspard said.
One think tank's thoughtfulness is another's hesitation. Rahna Epting, executive director of Moveon, a liberal advocacy group, said elected Democrats are trying to determine what their constituents want them to do.
“I see Democrats still trying to figure out where to plant their feet on the spectrum of pure opposition and bipartisanship,” Ms. Epting said. “It needs to be voters and external groups like Moveon and others to hold the feet to the fire.
