The Resistance Rebooted: Democrats Prepare for Trump’s Second Term
As Donald Trump prepares to take office for a second term, Democrats and liberal activists are retooling their opposition strategy, shifting from a focus on performative protests to strategic confrontation and mobilization. The plan is to challenge Trump’s agenda in Congress, the courts, and on the streets, using a combination of legal battles, grassroots organizing, and targeted messaging.
According to Skye Perryman, leader of the liberal legal organization Democracy Forward, the landscape has changed since Trump’s first election, with the GOP’s power consolidated and the judicial landscape shifted to the right. However, Perryman believes there are opportunities for Democrats to push back, citing the American people’s support for issues like healthcare and immigration reform.
Several groups, including Indivisible and the Working Families Party, are reporting strong engagement and turnout among supporters, with plans to mobilize around key issues like Trump’s mass deportation plans and the upcoming debate over extending the GOP’s 2017 tax cuts. The Republican Party’s narrow congressional majorities are seen as vulnerable to pressure from a well-organized opposition.
Leaders of liberal groups like Indivisible and Justice Democrats are urging Democrats to rebuild their image as a party of the working class and pressure Republicans to vote on populist policies, such as raising taxes on billionaires. They also emphasize the need to focus on pocketbook issues, rather than simply opposing Trump’s Cabinet picks and outrages.
A Quinnipiac University poll found that 53% of voters are optimistic about Trump’s second term, but majorities also oppose key parts of his agenda, including his plan to launch tariffs on Mexico, China, and Canada, and his approach to immigration.
As Democrats work to rehabilitate their image with voters, they are hoping the incoming Trump administration will provide a strong contrast. Organizers point to the successful effort in 2017 to block the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, which led to the healthcare law becoming a positive campaign issue for Democrats in the 2018 midterm elections.
The incoming chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, Texas Rep. Greg Casar, acknowledges that the period of “grief and soul-searching” is not yet over, but argues that internal debate will benefit the party. He notes that the Republican Party is trying to get Democrats to give up, but that he sees a deliberate strategy to mobilize and organize resistance.
As the Democratic Party prepares for Trump’s second term, leaders are emphasizing the need to focus on policy fights and rebuild their image as a party of the working class. With a renewed sense of purpose and a more strategic approach, Democrats are gearing up to challenge Trump’s agenda and push back against his policies.