Democratic strategists are furious, claiming that the party’s response to Donald Trump is far too soft and inconsistent to counter the overwhelming threat he poses. The former reality TV star-turned-president is using every trick in the book to reshape the government, and strategists say Democrats are failing to rise to the occasion.
In his chaotic first two weeks, Trump flooded the administration with a series of executive orders, fired watchdogs, and dismantled crucial government programs. But while Democrats have begun to fight back, it’s nowhere near enough to stop his relentless march toward authoritarianism.
“It’s like they’re stuck in 2006,” said Democratic strategist Christy Setzer, referencing the year Democrats took back the Senate but before the GOP completely lost its bearings. “We’re dealing with a lifelong conman and convicted felon in the Oval Office. He’s trying to turn this country into a dictatorship, and our leaders need to start acting like it.”
Setzer was blunt in her criticism of Democratic inaction. “You can’t scream about Trump freezing government funding in the morning and then vote for his Treasury secretary—who will gut the economy—in the afternoon,” she said. “Stop helping him.”
Another strategist pulled no punches: “Trump is eating us alive, and we’re letting him.”
The frustration among Democrats boiled over during a tense call last week between Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and several Democratic governors. Six of them, including Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, demanded Schumer step up the fight against Trump’s agenda. Healey even suggested that Schumer slow down Senate votes and ramp up public opposition to the president’s policies.
That phone call lit a fire under Senate Democrats, some of whom scrambled to speak out about the devastating consequences of Trump’s budget cuts, which would freeze critical funding for communities across the country. But behind closed doors, the divide within the party was growing. Some Democrats, particularly those up for reelection in swing states, were more inclined to compromise than to confront.
As the political infighting continued, Senate Democrats gave Trump a major victory when seven of them voted to confirm Kristi Noem as Secretary of Homeland Security—a position that will directly oversee Trump’s brutal immigration policies, including mass deportations.
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) blasted his colleagues for failing to resist. “I’m not voting for a single nominee while this crisis over federal spending persists,” Murphy said, vowing to block legislation until Republicans stop enabling Trump’s radical agenda. “We can’t convince the public this is a serious threat while we’re helping him fill his corrupt cabinet.”
Murphy’s anger was compounded by the number of Democrats who voted for Doug Burgum, Trump’s pick to lead the Interior Department—despite his clear agenda to ramp up oil and gas drilling on public lands. Murphy slammed those who voted for Burgum as contributing to the very problem they claim to be fighting against. “It’s no wonder people aren’t rising up like they did in 2017,” he said. “They see us supporting his policies and nominees, and they think it must not be that bad.”
The frustration with centrist Democrats deepened after they joined Republicans to pass the Laken Riley Act, which mandates the detention of migrants accused of violent crimes. Critics warned that it would expand mass incarceration and lead to the detention of children. Many on the left saw this as another sign of a party unwilling to put up a real fight.
“We got blindsided,” admitted one Democratic senator, referring to the party’s failure to rein in support for the bill. “A lot of freshmen had already voted for it in the House, and they weren’t willing to change their positions.”
Others were equally exasperated. One senator lashed out at critics within the party, arguing that the political landscape is more complicated than they realize. “We can’t block a single nominee unless we get four Republicans to vote no,” said the lawmaker, adding that persuading Democrats like Sens. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) to vote against Trump’s picks was a small victory.
At the same time, many progressives were seething over the lack of leadership and strategy. They had hoped Schumer would take a firmer stance on issues like immigration and border security, but instead, they were left to watch as key bills sailed through the Senate with bipartisan support.
Rodell Mollineau, a Democratic strategist with deep ties to the late Majority Leader Harry Reid, acknowledged the frustration but urged his party to pick its battles carefully. “There will be many opportunities to swing at pitches, but we don’t need to swing at every one,” Mollineau said. “Democrats can’t afford to fight with the old playbook. We need to be smarter about how, when, and where we fight.”
But the bottom line remains clear: Trump’s grip on power is tightening by the day, and Democrats are letting him slip through their fingers. If they don’t start acting with urgency and resolve, they could lose much more than just the battle over nominations—they could lose the country.
