Washington House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries met behind closed doors with Democratic lawmakers less than 48 hours after President Donald Trump took office in order to give a clarion cry and a warning.
According to a witness in the room who asked to remain anonymous in order to disclose the secret conversation, Jeffries told the Democrats that the Trump administration was going to flood the area and that they couldn’t afford to pursue every outrage or nothing would sink in for the American people.
Jeffries, D-N.Y., asked members to emphasize border security, community safety, and the cost of living in their message.
In reference to the GOP agenda and expenditure cutbacks it is considering, Jeffries told reporters the next day that the House Republican Contract Against America is an extreme proposal that will not lower costs for regular Americans. It will raise the cost of living in our nation.
Democrats are developing a fresh strategy for Trump’s second term that breaks from the clamorous opposition of his first, having been burned by their inability to put a stop to the Trump era the first time. As they prepare for the 2026 midterm elections and beyond, over a dozen party leaders, lawmakers, and strategists say the new strategy would focus on budgetary concerns. Additionally, they intend to pay less attention to his cultural insults and problems that don’t come up at the dinner table.
The plan will put Democrats to the test in a crowded and quickly changing information landscape. It will also go against the aspirations of certain activist groups and progressive members who seek to strongly oppose Trump’s rollback of transgender rights and his forceful deportations of migrants. But according to postelection polls, Trump’s victory was propelled by these two problems, in addition to discontent with inflation, since he portrayed Democrats as disconnected from the average voter.
Neither of those hills is likely to claim the party’s life. The Laken Riley Act, which aims to crack down on unauthorized immigrants who commit nonviolent offenses, was passed by Republicans with the assistance of Democrats from swing states and districts. Democrats have also reacted to GOP comments over trans rights by accusing them of being an attempt to divert voters’ attention from a phony economic agenda, lead by Rep. Sarah McBride, D-Del., the first openly transgender member of Congress.
The strategy was supported by Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., who was essentially the spokesperson for the initial opposition to Trump.
In an interview, Schiff stated, “I think we have to pick our fights and not chase after every crazy squirrel.”
Schiff, who oversaw the first Trump impeachment, was a regular on television during Trump’s first term as the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee. Schiff asserted that the resistance now needs to change.
“We just let go of the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico and other ridiculous things like that,” he remarked. The trade wars that will increase costs for people, the mass deportations that will increase food prices and cause suffering for countless families, the pardoning of criminals who beat police, and now the focus on tax cuts for extremely wealthy individuals that will not benefit working families are the things that truly matter. These are the major battles that require our attention.
In contrast to their initial loss to Trump in 2016, Democrats lost the popular vote this time, and their renowned Obama coalition disintegrated as many Latino and working-class supporters turned to Trump. This time, there was no foreign interference operation or Russia investigation to blame.
Inflation was the primary reason given by many of those voters for supporting Trump. They made the decision to give President Joe Biden another chance because they were unhappy with the expense of living under his leadership and missed the economy before the pandemic.
By demonstrating that Trump has no plans to better their lot in life and could instead make matters worse, Democrats hope to win back those people.
Former House Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., released a statement after Trump’s long inaugural address, pointing out that he failed to mention his promised tax cuts for the wealthy.
Leaders in the Democratic Party are focusing on the enormous party-line package that Republicans are drafting to pass Trump’s agenda, characterizing it as a tax reduction for his affluent buddies that may be funded by reducing middle-class safety net programs.
In order to support their plan for tax breaks, immigration financing, and other initiatives, they cite a 50-page paper that was circulated by the House Budget Committee and originally reported by Punchbowl News. The document specifies a number of budget cutbacks, including to Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act, and the SNAP program.
As they say, you’re on the menu if you’re not at the table. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., responded to the memo by saying, “It’s not surprising that America’s middle class is on the menu, given Donald Trump’s cabinet of millionaires and billionaires.”
Democratic leadership team member Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, reluctantly acknowledged that Trump is skilled at diverting his detractors by making them chase bright stuff. He stated that the resistance should concentrate on the Republican Party’s economic program this time.
In an interview, Schatz stated, “We are going to talk every day and every week about what a rip-off this whole enterprise is.”
To be honest, one of the things that congressional Democrats have done badly is to discuss one topic one week and then another the next week, he remarked. And I believe that’s particularly the case when Trump is in charge because he is so adept at grabbing attention. Therefore, one of the things we will consciously try to do is to convey the impression that they are defrauding you, regardless of what else is happening.