Democrats rely on anti-Trump message as they seek new leaders, new pitch to blue-collar voters

The turbulence of President Trump’s first 100 days may have hit Democrats the worst of all.

Devastated by their election losses in November, party members have yet to settle on an explanation for what went wrong, much less figure out a message that can unify supporters and gain ground with the working-class minority voters who fled to the GOP.

On Capitol Hill, Democrats are powerless to stop the Trump agenda at this point and have been reduced to cheering on federal judges and making high-profile visits to El Salvador to plead for the release of MS-13 suspect Kilmar Abrego Garcia.

In the states, Democratic governors and attorneys general have filed lawsuits to try to blunt some of Mr. Trump’s executive actions, but remain divided over how far to go in their rhetorical resistance.

“This is what I have said now for the first 100 days: We have no leader and we have no agenda,” Dan Turrentine, a Democratic strategist, said Tuesday on The Morning Meeting podcast. “That is our problem.”

For now, Democrats are taking refuge in the anti-Trump message that failed in the 2024 election, but one that they figure will resonate more after voters get another taste of Trump policies in action.

“There is a feeling of incompetence, of indecision, and chaos eating away at much of the country – and that is emanating from the man, Donald Trump,” Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer said Tuesday.

Post-election soul-searching is a rite of passage for the losers after every election.

But Democrats are conducting theirs amid intense scrutiny from a base both demoralized and infuriated by Mr. Trump’s aggressive norm-breaking agenda.

Two leading 2028 hopefuls capture some of the party fight.

Gov. Gavin Newsom of California suggested earlier this year that working-class voters identify more with Republicans culturally. He broke with the liberal base by coming out against transgender athletes competing in women’s sports, siding with Mr. Trump.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker of Illinois went in a different direction. He chastized “do-nothing Democrats [who] want to blame our losses on our defense of Black people and trans kids and immigrants,” Mr. Pritzker said, “instead of their own lack of guts and gumption.”

Pete Buttigieg, a 2020 presidential hopeful who served as Transportation Secretary under President Biden, has called for revising the party’s messaging, including promoting government efficiency and moving beyond traditional media spaces.

“I could be the 10th person to say roughly the same thing on a liberal show, or I could literally be the first time somebody heard a certain idea if I am in a more conservative space,” Mr. Buttigieg said recently on The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart podcast.

David Hogg, the newly minted vice chair of the Democratic National Committee, argues for a youth movement, saying the party needs to oust aging incumbents and seek fresher faces.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan has stressed bipartisanship and joined Mr. Trump on Tuesday to celebrate his announcement that a local Air National Guard base would receive a new fighter mission.

The party’s left wing sees the future in terms of class, saying Democrats need to rail against Mr. Trump, Elon Musk, and the billionaire class.

“For 100 days, Trump, Musk and the billionaire class have gotten richer off of you while our country has gotten screwed,” Texas Rep. Greg Casar, chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said Tuesday.

For Sen. Tim Kaine, Virginia Democrat, Mr. Trump’s chaos has led to “indiscriminate mass layoffs, with non-strategic budget slashing and with tariff idiocy.” That creates an opening for Democrats.

“He’s demonstrated an ability to be a destroyer,” Mr. Kaine told The Washington Times. “What Democrats need to do is remind people that we’re builders, and they’re destroyers.”

Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona said working-class folks are starting to realize that Mr. Trump is “not helping them.”

“This guy said he’s going to bring down the price of groceries on day one, and his biggest policy accomplishment – these tariffs – is clearly going to raise prices for the American people. It’s doing the exact opposite,” Mr. Kelly said.

Some Democrats appeared disinterested in the conversation about the party’s messaging at this point.