By Evelyn Quartz
Hitting back on Trump is not enough. The party must also offer a better alternative.
Last week, I wrote a piece for Courier about the difference in Democratic party messaging between the first Trump term and now. I argued that during the first term, the party failed to convey the threat Trump poses to our democracy by not using strong enough language, such as authoritarian, strongman, and oligarchy. Unlike in 2016, it’s hard to argue these concepts are hyperbolic in 2025 (anyone who has seen the latest news understands). Despite not uttering the word once in his Presidency, Biden applied the term oligarchy to America in his farewell address. It’s undeniable that finding better ways to articulate threats to democracy to anyone willing to listen is key to the work ahead.
But how do we get enough people to listen? That’s the billion-dollar question in politics right now. In 2024, so much of the anti-Trump strategy was about hitting Trump as hard as possible. If only we could convince enough voters that his dangerous and authoritarian vision was never about lowering grocery bills but destroying the government to enrich Trump, surely then, they’d vote the other way? In a fact-based information ecosystem, that should have worked. But the MAGA leaders waged a successful war to manipulate the truth. The playing field was never even. It was facts, facts, facts vs. lies, lies, lies. The lies were more lucrative, and people rolled the dice.
With hindsight, it is easier to see that the Harris campaign was too heavy on pragmatism and too light on the messages of hope and possibility that Obama had mastered. People felt worried and betrayed, and Harris did not inspire enough.
In the weeks and months to come, Democrats can create an opposition movement that speaks truth to Trump’s lies and promotes an inspired vision that brings people to their side. It is the old, tired saying that we can walk and chew gum at the same time.
A few ideas for doing so:
First, Democrats need to get on the same page—stop breaking apart to vote for Trump’s cabinet nominees and dog-whistle immigration bills. Seven Democratic Senators voted to confirm Kristi Noem to run the Department of Homeland Security. Days later, Noem donned an ICE agent vest and joined officers in a filmed raid in the Bronx. Trump is not a good-faith actor. Democrats should rethink their strategy if they are going to keep voting to enable his agenda.
Second, Trump is on a mission to prove that the government is evil and needs doing away with. Don’t believe this! If anything, Trump’s rushed order to stop all federal funding he doesn’t like proves just how impactful this money is on people’s lives. Our schools, senior centers, and hospitals rely on trillions of dollars from the government. Here, Democrats have the opportunity to highlight both points–Trump was never in it for the people, and their party wants to expand the funding that makes lives better. The federal government has the power to build a better, more equitable society where all people can thrive. This should be the guiding light of all Democratic messaging during this second Trump term.
Democrats are the only party with plans to address the issues most people care about—like affording housing, child care, paid leave, and getting the climate under control. These policies are quite popular and should be discussed in terms of big, bold, and inspired solutions about what the government can do. Democrats have a wealth of talented communicators; they should be hitting the media circuit daily and elevated to influential roles in the party.
When it comes to messaging, Democrats cannot be afraid to go big. Zoom out. Speak to people's emotions right now and propose concrete plans to improve their lives.
After all, big ideas may be our only ticket out of this mess.
