I'm a Democrat. Here are some things Trump has gotten right.
What if the best way to argue that Donald Trump is wrong for America is to recognize his wins?
During his address to Congress this week, Donald Trump took several of his 100+ minutes to attack Congressional Democrats. He excoriated the Democratic Senators and Representatives sitting stone-faced in front of him for never finding a single positive thing to say about him:
This is my fifth such speech to Congress, and, once again, I look at the Democrats in front of me, and I realize there is absolutely nothing I can say to make them happy or to make them stand or smile or applaud.
Nothing I can do.
I could find a cure to the most devastating disease, a disease that would wipe out entire nations or announce the answers to greatest economy in history or the stoppage of crime to the lowest levels ever recorded, and these people sitting right here will not clap, will not stand, and certainly will not cheer for these astronomical achievements.
They won’t do it no matter what.
For anyone who has existed within Trump’s America for the past ten years, there was an aspect of what he said here that rings true.
It was a classic Trump rhetorical move - attacking his opponents for something he does all the time. The “honest liar”, as Dave Chapelle so accurately described him, who authentically critiques a system he openly exploits.
He is loathe to praise Democrats and constantly feeds the polarization fire, even using part of this address to continue to attack Joe Biden as “the worst president in American history.”
And yet, Democrats in Congress often act as if everything Trump touches turns to dust. They ignore the constant and consistent feedback from the voting public that there are parts of the problems Trump identifies and the solutions he puts in place that they agree with.
Democrats tie themselves in knots to keep from saying a single positive thing about any of his policies or positions. So they end up defending their decision not to clap for a 13-year-old cancer survivor. They make Trump look wise when he says, “Look, the only idea they have is that I’m wrong about everything.” It’s how they end up talking about Trump and never to the voters.
Trump’s example in the Congressional Address is an interesting one and a great place to start if Democratic leadership wants voters to hear: “We’re obsessed with you and not Donald Trump. If he is naming your pain, then we are listening. If he has an idea that will make your life better, then we will get to work on it.”
Donald Trump did, in a way, “find a cure for a devastating disease.” Five years after the pandemic, Operation Warp Speed remains one of the biggest unmitigated successes of Trump’s first term. OWS is a shining example of what private-public partnerships can accomplish. The federal government invested billions and absorbed much of the risk so vaccine manufacturers could do it in months instead of years. The money was well-spent. The leadership was capable and empowered. According to the NIH estimates, the operation got us vaccines an estimated five months faster and saved 140,000 American lives. That is reason to applaud.
Of course, Democrats aren’t the only ones who don’t applaud this apparent success. Neither do Trump or the Republican Party. He doesn’t even talk anymore about getting the COVID-19 vaccine himself. Instead, he has embraced the vaccine skepticism and conspiracy theories of his base, including putting Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., in charge of public health.
Trump abandoning a position is something Democrats can count on and use. “Trump can do the right thing, but he is scared of his own base and abandons the position when it is no longer politically expedient - even when your life or your child’s life is on the line.”
I am also happy to praise the first Trump administration’s forceful opposition to Chinese ownership of TikTok. In 2020, the Trump administration famously proposed banning TikTok because of (valid) national security concerns. That was the right call and deserved applause, standing, AND smiles. Five years later, the reality couldn’t be more different. Now, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew publicly praises Trump for saving the app as the administration publicly refuses to enforce the bipartisan legislation from Congress requiring TikTok’s sale.
Again, another piece of low-hanging fruit for Democrats: “Trump is absolutely capable of doing the right thing until the right Chinese billionaire comes along and convinces him otherwise.”
Or what about Trump’s action on criminal justice reform? The First Step Act, signed into law by Trump in 2018, has led to the release of over 3,000 federal prisoners due to recalculations of good-time credits. More than 2,000 had their sentences reduced and 5,300 have received compassionate release. Trump has increased his support among the black community every election cycle. Criminal justice reform is often one of the reasons cited by voters.
Democratic lawmakers have been working on these issues for decades. The First Step Act was passed with strong bipartisan support, but it was passed under Trump, so Democrats don’t want to trumpet its success.
But what about this term?
Again, there are reasons to applaud. As a part of his tariffs against China, Mexico, and Canada, the Trump administration has suspended a duty-free exemption for low-value shipments below $800. Multiple investigations have shown that Chinese chemical traders use these exemptions to sneak in fentanyl precursors that are then smuggled across the border to cartels in Mexico. Ending that exemption was the right thing to do.
However, it depends on Trump’s tariffs staying in place, which members of the administration have already implied could be ending soon1.
The historically low rate of illegal border crossing is also a reason to celebrate. Democrats have been so scared of admitting that anything Trump says could be accurate that they denied historical levels of immigration until they lost all trust with the American public on this issue. As Trump pointed out in his speech, this drop seems to be partly because of his tough language and resulting policies around deportation.
Of course, crossings were already dropping after Biden reinstated Trump border policies - again, something Kamala Harris was never comfortable touting as an accomplishment because it would involve admitting where Trump's policies were effective.
Of course, there will always be worse things Trump has done around every policy or solution.
Yes, he held up a cancer survivor while he’s cutting cancer research.
Yes, Operation Warp Speed saved lives, while many were lost because of how he politicized the pandemic.
Yes, his tariffs might include some good ideas, while the trade war will cause massive economic suffering.
Yes, border crossings are down, while his threats rest on a foundation of nationalist hatred and inhumane treatment.
But what Democrats seem to be saying to the average voters is, “You’re not smart enough to figure that out.”
Based on conversations I’ve had in my personal life and online, I think a lot of people - both inside and outside Congress - believe that. They believe Donald Trump is so heinously evil that anyone who could be persuaded by him - much less vote for him - is ignorant and deserving of disdain. Our only option is to keep banging the drum of his villainy until his policies make everything so bad that they wake up and see the light.
That’s not persuasion. That’s chastisement. It’s also not something the Democrats from swing districts often engage in. The members who have to persuade the middle - not just primary voters - don’t go on angry anti-Trump tirades. The same is true for Democratic governors in tough states.
Colorado Governor Jared Polis has praised Trump’s immigration policies.
Kansas Governor Laura Kelly supported the Trump administration’s renegotiation of NAFTA - the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) (bonus point for one more place Trump has abandoned a popular position!).
These Democrats offer others in the party a path forward. They focus on agreeing with Trump when he identifies a painful problem and works to institute policies that solve those problems - no matter where the policies originate.
They say, “I care about you more than I hate Donald Trump.”
From the Spice Cabinet
If you’d like to hear more of Sarah and Beth’s reaction to the President's Address to the Joint Session of Congress, check out this week’s bonus episode: Trump Produces His Joint Address
Something Nice to Take You Into the Weekend
I did not understand what the deal with ASMR videos was until you guys sent us the Big Bear Bald Eagle Nest Live Cam. I am obsessed with Jackie and Shadow and their eaglets.
What We’re Reading, Listening To, and Watching This Week
Sarah: Will Harvard Bend or Break? (The New Yorker)
Beth: The Age of Addiction: How Bad Habits Became Big Business by David Courtwright
Alise: Based on Sarah’s ENTHUSIASTIC recommendation on Tuesday’s More to Say, I’m watching The Righteous Gemstones on HBO
Maggie: You Never Forget Your First: A Biography of George Washington by Alexis Coe
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Between the time Sarah wrote this note and our publishing, the tariffs have already been put on pause: Trump changes course and delays some tariffs on Mexico and Canada (The Associated Press)
I agree that we do not want to mirror Republicans behavior but it is very hard to applaud Trump's performative behaviors like showcasing a cancer patient when he degrades science, puts Robert Kennedy in charge of Health and human services and cancels dollars for cancer research. He is also the President of ALL Americans and I think he should go first in listening and stopping the name calling. Until he does I completely understand not giving him any kudos. They should speak to the democratic base on what policies they would reinforce and think are effective but applauding him or giving him any credit is like being grateful that an abusive spouse is only beating you three days a week and not seven. As a black woman and a psychologist who has worked the majority of my career in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging, Trump and his Republican enablers have forwarded racist beliefs and practices denying the worth of my very existence, and their lies and push for white supremacy have made my profession toxic. So, no amount of messaging deserves applaud for this administration. I have worked my lifetime and will continue to do so to support efforts to turn us and them into we (Getting To We is the nonprofit I started after retirement) but the Dems need to be a strong opposition party to this administration while forwarding not only policies aligned with the constitution and American values but the process by which they are achieved.
I don’t understand this approach at this particular moment in time. the amount of damage being caused to every day americans and our environment,health, safety, freedom and general well being every.single. day is immeasurable. how does this help bring in independent voters and why does that matter at a moment where there is no voting happening. I think it’s perfectly sane and reasonable to focus on the horrible and tangible damage he is doing right now especially when the members of his party are actively cheering that damage…not to take a moment to offer praise.