Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said he sees himself partnering with Trump to tackle “large corporate consolidations,” while Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) posted on X that he “looked forward” to Trump “fulfilling his promise” to cap credit card interest rates.
And many of them fear that Trump is an aspiring dictator who threatens democracy itself (which Trump allies have said is unfounded).
Those include making in vitro fertilization treatments free, ending taxes on tips and capping credit card interest rates.
“Trump actually made promises to people, like helping those on Social Security, ending taxes on tips, and capping credit card interest at 10 percent,” he said.
“If there’s areas we agree, let’s work together and get them done: credit card fees, cap on interest rates, prescription drug reference pricing,” he said.
A new strategy that progressive Democrats are deciding on as they grapple with how to handle a second Donald Trump presidency is to believe his populist, working-class proposals, or at least act as though they do.
They can claim some credit for bringing him to the table if he is successful. They can criticize him if he doesn’t.
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After years of opposing Trump ended with his return to the White House, some liberal elected officials and operatives spoke privately about this shift in approach.
Rep. D-Wash’s Pramila Jayapal. In an interview, the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus stated that she would probably cooperate with Trump if he follow through on his campaign pledges regarding antitrust. Sen. Blumenthal, Richard D. Conn. stated that he sees himself working with Trump to address “large corporate consolidations,” while Sen. Sanders, Bernie (I-Vt. wrote on X that he “hoped” Trump would “keep his pledge” to limit credit card interest rates.
even Sen. Warren, Elizabeth (D-Mass. ), the symbol of resistance who popularized the phrase “nevertheless, she persisted” while criticizing a Trump cabinet choice in 2017, is now supporting the president-elect again.
“President Trump declared during his campaign that he planned to cap consumer credit interest rates at 10 percent,” Warren told POLITICO today. “Go for it.”. “”.
She went on to say, however, “he should be held accountable if he does not fulfill the campaign promises that would benefit working people.”. “.”.
Unsurprisingly, liberal Democrats will continue to “tooth and nail” oppose the majority of Trump’s actions, according to an aide to a progressive member of Congress who asked not to be named in order to discuss internal strategy. “.”.
Nevertheless, the individual stated, “We’ll say ‘Put up or shut up’ for the few policy proposals that we believe will benefit the working class, with capping credit card interest rates being one of them. Since millions of people nationwide will benefit greatly if he succeeds. Additionally, failing to do so reveals him as the fraud that he is. “.”.
Progressives are not buying MAGA hats overnight, and since Trump is not yet in office, their options for supporting or opposing him are still being developed. Trump’s actions and policies continue to horrify them, including his proposals to enact the most extensive deportation program in history, lower taxes for the wealthy, and restrict the rights of transgender people. And a lot of them worry that Trump is a potential dictator who could endanger democracy, which Trump supporters have denied.
However, some of the populist campaign pledges made by Trump align with the goals of progressives. In vitro fertilization treatments should be free, tip taxes should be eliminated, and credit card interest rates should be capped. He has also made a long-standing commitment to safeguard the well-liked Social Security and Medicare programs. He has advocated at times for Medicare to be directed to negotiate drug prices.
“President Trump’s America First policies will help uplift all Americans and Democrats know voters are now firmly behind him, as opposed to their failed and tired policies that have devastated this country for the last four years,” said Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung in response to a question about the election. “”.
Additionally, some of Trump’s supporters have supported a few other progressive ideas, such as cutting the Pentagon and rigorously enforcing antitrust laws.
Billionaire Elon Musk seemed to concur with progressive Rep. Trump, who has accused Musk of cutting the federal government. In a recent thread on X, Ro Khanna claimed that the Department of Defense overspends on contractors.
Leading Trump supporter Matt Gaetz, whom the president-elect nominated for attorney general but later withdrew, has commended Lina Khan, the chair of the Federal Trade Commission. Khan is admired on the left for his aggressive dismantling of monopolies and angering Wall Street. Although Musk stated that Khan would be “fired soon” and Khan is not anticipated to remain under Trump, vice president-elect JD Vance has praised her and advocated for dismantling Big Tech.
Khan gave back last week during an FTC meeting, stating that she is “so grateful and appreciative of the bipartisan support” for her work, including from former Congressman Gaetz and Vice President-elect Vance. “”.
If Trump were ever serious about his populist campaign promises, progressives are aware that many, if not most, of them will not materialize in a House and Senate controlled by Republicans. However, they think that his supporters want him to do what they want him to do. In addition, they have no influence in Congress and are eager for any opportunity to change policy.
According to Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Institute, his organization polled voters in Michigan and Pennsylvania, two crucial battleground states, in the last week of the election. He claimed that the majority of Trump’s supporters support his efforts to curb price gouging, increase taxes on billionaires, and fortify anti-monopoly legislation, according to polls conducted in collaboration with the liberal organization Data for Progress.
He claimed that Trump had made pledges to the public, including assisting Social Security recipients, eliminating tip taxes, and capping credit card interest at 10%. “His own supporters think he has a mandate on that, along with higher taxes on large corporations and billionaires.”. Are you going to be a hypocrite or not? Let’s hold a mirror up to him.
That approach is not shared by all progressives. Representative. Lee, Summer (D-Pa. Regarding Trump, one of the members of the so-called Squad stated, “I’ve never gotten the impression that he’s been accountable to anything in his life.”. “But I don’t blame anybody for trying,” she said. “”.
Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt. stated that it is “a little bit unrealistic — we don’t have the votes” to hold Trump accountable in Congress. However, he asserted that there is space to support liberal policies.
“Let’s collaborate to resolve any issues we agree on, such as credit card fees, interest rate caps, and prescription medication reference pricing,” he stated. My focus is on projects that will benefit members of the working class. “”.
In any case, it is no longer 2017. The appearance of Resistance 2.0 will also differ from that of its original era.
“There will be instances in which resistance is justified,” Warren stated. For instance, should Trump adhere to his V. P. JD Vance’s attempt to use the FDA to restrict access to abortion across the country will encounter strong opposition. If Trump fulfills his pledges to further reduce taxes for billionaires and billionaire corporations, we will be fully engaged in that battle. “.”.
“Count me in,” she added, “if Trump is going to cut interest rates on all consumer loans to 10 percent.”. “”.
