When President Donald Trump signed the defendant’s pardon on Jan. 6, many 2028 Democratic hopefuls refused to acknowledge it. And few people fell into the cycle of outrage over Elon Musk’s straight-arm gesture during Trump’s inauguration celebration.
This week provided clues about the new approach that could define the Democratic Party in the early days of Trump’s second administration, breaking firmly from its angry resistance roots of 2017. Instead, democratic states and congressional leaders are primarily looking for an opening to attack the president. , promising this division and seeking to model a democratic alternative in the United States.
In interviews with more than a dozen Democratic elected officials and strategists, they explained the shift by sweeping losses, timing, and then evidence from the party itself, until public sentiment potentially pivoted against Trump. That’s because it’s in friendlier territory than in 2017. Trump won the popular vote and 50 states will go straight to 2024. Thirteen House Democrats now represent seats that Trump won last November, but another 50 that Kamala Harris won in 9th place. points or less. Tens of millions showed up to protest Trump’s inauguration.
Michigan State Sen. “Democrats are more tired because people are so tired that they don’t have the energy to stay at 11 o’clock,” Mallory McMorrow said. “My advice is, call it out, be blunt, but don’t scream about it.”
But for many future leaders and possible 2028 Democratic primary contenders, Trump’s pardon and Musk’s gesture — a moment that inspired a public outcry eight years ago — did not elicit an immediate public response. Former Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz did not weigh in on the statement or on social media. So did Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro addressed Trump’s pardon when asked by local reporters. In a notable outlier, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker called Musk’s salute to the X “outrageous” and criticized Trump for his pardon.
“Joe Biden leaves as a very unpopular Democratic president, we lost the popular vote and people are mad at us about inflation, culture and borders,” said Mike Nellis, a Democratic strategist who worked on Harris’ 2020 presidential primary. . “We have to change our tactics because we have to win back people’s trust.”
Faced with this new reality, he said, Democrats are “not going to use the playbook if it’s going to be released in 2024 or 2017 to 2028.” If you run to the camera every time there’s anger, that’s the old playbook.”
“The path to prominence is not in endless resistance headlines,” said an adviser to another potential 2028 candidate. A third operative, close to another would-be presidential candidate, said, “People in 2028 are still thinking about what their arguments are for how to fix the party, so we need solutions.”
But that muted approach has also left a messaging void, which is frustrating some Democrats. One Democratic strategist said there was “a big concern that we have no direction” and that “there is a space that could be filled by someone,” but “it’s falling on deaf ears right now.”
For some people, silence is a missed opportunity. “If you’re thinking about running for president in 2027, understand why your advisors are saying, put your head down and pick a seat,” said a Democratic strategist who worked on the 2020 presidential primary campaign. “No one wants to be in over their heads, but with over-learning the lessons of 2017 and 2018, we are concerned about whether resistance efforts have benefited candidates when they run for president in 2019.”
Agents argued there was still “grassroots energy” for the Democratic Party.
Of course there are exceptions. Chief among them was his absence from the inauguration, where he said in an Instagram video: “The two most fundamental things about American history are that we defeated the Confederates. We beat the Nazis,” said Musk, who mocked these accusations. She told comedian Jon Stewart on his podcast that Trump is “being much more normalized this time around.” But she argued that working-class voters are still “being torn apart” by Trump, who is “a typical New York con guy.”
Some argued it was too early to judge. “It was the first week, and it was a deluge, but we will find our sweet spot in this tax fight, which is highlighting what he has done for tax breaks for the wealthy.” working class,” said Ro Khanna (D-Calif.).
Throughout the 2024 general election, Harris and Walz cast Trump and Musk, noting that it is not uncommon for Democrats to keep a low profile after an election loss. Harris told reporters after certifying the election results earlier this month that the “peaceful transfer of power” is “something Americans have taken for granted,” an implicit reference to the Jan. 6 insurrection.
Walz proposed cutting sales taxes in Minnesota this month, but did not return to national politics. Whitmer also promised not to “look for a fight” with Trump, but “not to walk away from them” in a speech at the Detroit Auto Show last week. Meanwhile, Newsom greeted Trump on the Tarmac on Friday when the president arrived, uninvited, for a wildfire relief tour in Los Angeles.
But the party’s broader identity is also reflected in contests for Democratic National Committee chairs, which often center party dynamics over ideology or message. Ken Martin, chairman of the Minnesota Democratic Party’s Thinking Party, and Ben Martin, chairman of the Wisconsin Democratic Party, are broadly aligned on their commitment to building a year-long campaign infrastructure and energizing the state. there is. Parties across the country.
In a bloody reaction to the party’s 2024 loss in the DNC chair race, Faiz Shakir, a longtime progressive strategist who managed Bernie Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign, has entered the race. Shakir acknowledged that there is “a lot of fatigue” with the Democratic Party, but also said there is “a hesitancy to define our current brand of democracy,” and the tenor of the DNC chair race is an example.
“People are still struggling with the framing of how to challenge Donald Trump for failing to deliver for working people, but there is a framing now,” Shakir said. I am currently participating in the auction. I attended the presidential inauguration ceremony. “But it may be an uncomfortable language for Democrats to talk about the ruling elite, as they haven’t spoken like this in a long time.”
Ally Mutnick contributed reporting.
