Progressive Democrats grappling with how to navigate a second Donald Trump presidency are taking a new approach: Take his working-class populist proposals at his word — or at least pretend.
If he succeeds, they can take credit for bringing him to the table. If he doesn’t, they can bash him for it.
It’s a change in strategy, evident in private conversations between some liberal elected officials and operatives, that comes after years of opposition to Trump ended with his return to the White House.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said in an interview that she would likely work with Trump if he pursues the antitrust promises he made during his campaign. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said he sees himself working with Trump to tackle “major corporate consolidations,” while Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) posted on would fulfill’. promise” to cap credit card interest.
Even Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), the resistance icon who popularized the motto “persevered nevertheless” as she made her choice for the Trump Cabinet in 2017, is finding common cause with the president-elect.
“President Trump announced during his campaign that he plans to impose a 10 percent interest rate cap on consumer loans,” Warren told POLITICO. “Bring it on.”
But, she added, “if he refuses to deliver on campaign promises that would help working people, then he must be held accountable.”
An aide to a progressive member of Congress, granted anonymity to discuss internal strategy, stated the obvious: Liberal Democrats will continue to oppose most of what Trump does “tooth and nail.”
However, the person said: “For the few policy proposals that we think will help the working class, capping credit card interest rates being one of them, we’ll say, ‘Put it down or shut up.’ Because if he does, it will be a great victory for millions of people in this country. And if he doesn’t, he will be exposed for the fraud he is.”
Progressives aren’t suddenly buying MAGA hats, and with Trump not yet in office, the range of ways they can engage him — or oppose him — remains a work in progress. They are still shocked by Trump’s behavior and policies, including his plans to implement the largest deportation program in history, cut taxes for the wealthy and roll back transgender rights. And many of them fear that Trump is an ambitious dictator who threatens democracy itself (which Trump allies say is unfounded).
But some of Trump’s populist campaign promises align with progressives’ own aspirations. These include making in vitro fertilization treatments free, ending the tax on tips and capping credit card interest rates. He has also promised for years to protect the popular Social Security and Medicare programs. At times, he has ensured that Medicare was in charge of negotiating drug prices.
When asked for comment, Trump spokesman Steven Cheung said: “President Trump’s America First policy will help uplift all Americans and Democrats, knowing that voters are now firmly behind him, in contrast to their failed and tired policies that has devastated this country over the past four years. .”
And some Trump allies have also backed a handful of other ideas that progressives support, from taking down the Pentagon to strictly enforcing antitrust laws.
Billionaire Elon Musk, who has been accused by Trump of downsizing the federal government, appeared to agree with progressive Rep. Ro Khanna in a recent thread on X that the Defense Department is spending too much money on contractors.
Top Trump ally Matt Gaetz, who was tapped by the president-elect for attorney general but has since resigned, has praised Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan. Khan is revered on the left for infuriating Wall Street and aggressively destroying monopolies. While Khan is not expected to stay in office under Trump, and Musk said she would be fired “soon,” newly elected Vice President JD Vance has also spoken highly of her and called for breaking up Big Tech.
Last week, Khan returned the favor at an FTC meeting, saying she is “so grateful and appreciative of the bipartisan support” for her work, “including that of Vice President-elect Vance and former Congressman Gaetz.”
Progressives are clear that with a Republican-controlled House and Senate, many, if not most, of Trump’s populist campaign promises will not come to fruition — if he ever takes them seriously. But they believe his voters want him to persevere. They also lack any power in Congress and are desperate for even an outside opportunity to influence policy.
Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Institute, said his group conducted polls in the crucial battleground states of Pennsylvania and Michigan during the final week of the election. He said the surveys, conducted in partnership with the liberal firm Data for Progress, showed that a majority of Trump voters want him to crack down on price gouging, raise taxes on billionaires and strengthen anti-monopoly laws.
“Trump has actually made promises to people, like helping people on Social Security, ending the tax on tips and capping credit card interest rates at 10 percent,” he said. “His own voters believe he has a mandate for that, plus higher taxes on billionaires and big corporations. So let’s hold a mirror up to him and ask: are you going to be a hypocrite or not?
Not all progressives agree with this strategy. Rep. Summer Lee (D-Pa.), a member of the so-called Squad, said of Trump: “I never got the impression that he was accountable for anything in his life.” But, she said, “I don’t blame anyone for trying.”
Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) said holding Trump’s feet to the fire in Congress “is a little unrealistic — we don’t have the votes.” But he said there is room to argue for liberal policies.
“If there are areas we agree on, let’s work together and get them done: credit card fees, interest rate caps, reference prices for prescription drugs,” he said. “I’m all about working on things that will help working-class people.”
Anyway, it’s not 2017 anymore. And Resistance 2.0 won’t look exactly like its first era.
“There will be places where resistance is appropriate,” Warren said. “For example, if Trump follows Vice President JD Vance in his attempt to ban access to abortion nationwide through the FDA, there will be enormous resistance. If Trump makes good on his promises for more tax cuts for billionaires and billionaire corporations, we will remain in that fight all the way.”
At the same time, she said, “If Trump is going to cut interest rates on all consumer loans to 10 percent, count me in.”
