Source: Politics<\/p>\n
Progressive Democrats wrestling with how to navigate a second Donald Trump presidency are settling on a new approach: Take his populist, working-class proposals at his word \u2014 or at least pretend to.<\/p>\n
If he succeeds, they can take some credit for bringing him to the table. If he doesn\u2019t, they can bash him for it.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a change in strategy, emerging in private conversations among some liberal elected officials and operatives, that comes after years of resisting Trump ended with him returning to the White House.<\/p>\n
Rep. Pramila Jayapal<\/a> (D-Wash.), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said in an interview that she would likely work with Trump if he pursues antitrust promises he made on the campaign trail. Sen. Richard Blumenthal<\/a> (D-Conn.) said he sees himself partnering with Trump to tackle \u201clarge corporate consolidations,\u201d while Sen. Bernie Sanders<\/a> (I-Vt.) posted on X that he \u201clooked forward\u201d to Trump \u201cfulfilling his promise\u201d to cap credit card interest rates.<\/p>\n Even Sen. Elizabeth Warren <\/a>(D-Mass.), the resistance icon who popularized the motto \u201cnevertheless, she persisted\u201d while skewering a Trump cabinet pick in 2017, is finding common cause with the president-elect.<\/p>\n \u201cPresident Trump announced during his campaign that he intended to put a 10 percent interest rate cap on consumer credit,\u201d Warren told POLITICO. \u201cBring it on.\u201d<\/p>\n But, she added, \u201cif he refuses to follow through on the campaign promises that would help working people, then he should be held accountable.\u201d<\/p>\n An aide to a progressive member of Congress, who was granted anonymity to discuss internal strategy, stated the obvious: Liberal Democrats will continue to oppose most of what Trump does \u201ctooth and nail.\u201d<\/p>\n However, the person said, \u201cFor the few policy proposals that we think will help the working class, capping credit card interest rates being one of them, we’ll say, \u2018Put up or shut up.\u2019 Because if he does, it’s a great win for millions of people across this country. And if he doesn’t, it exposes him as a fraud that he is.\u201d<\/p>\n Progressives are not suddenly buying MAGA hats, and with Trump not yet in office, the range of ways they may engage him \u2014 or oppose him \u2014 remains a work in progress. They are still appalled by Trump\u2019s behavior and policies, including his plans to create 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 aspiring dictator who threatens democracy itself (which Trump allies have said is unfounded).<\/p>\n But some of Trump\u2019s populist campaign promises fall in line with progressives\u2019 own aspirations. Those include making in vitro fertilization treatments free, ending taxes on tips and capping credit card interest rates. He has also promised for years to protect the popular programs of Social Security and Medicare. At times, he has promoted directing Medicare to negotiate drug prices.<\/p>\n When asked for comment, Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung said, \u201cPresident 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.\u201d<\/p>\n And some of Trump\u2019s allies have also backed a handful of other ideas that progressives support, from slashing the Pentagon to strictly enforcing antitrust laws.<\/p>\n Billionaire Elon Musk, who has been charged by Trump with downsizing the federal government, appeared to agree with progressive Rep. Ro Khanna<\/a> in a recent thread on X<\/a> that the Department of Defense spends too much money on contractors.<\/p>\n Top Trump ally Matt Gaetz, whom the president-elect tapped for attorney general but has since withdrawn, has praised<\/a> Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan. Khan is revered on the left for infuriating Wall Street and aggressively busting up monopolies. Though Khan is not expected to stay on under Trump, and Musk said<\/a> she would be \u201cfired soon,\u201d Vice President-elect JD Vance has also spoken positively about her and called for breaking up Big Tech.<\/p>\n Last week, Khan returned the favor at an FTC meeting<\/a>, saying that she is \u201cso grateful and appreciative of the bipartisan support\u201d for her work, \u201cincluding from Vice President-elect Vance and formerly Congressman Gaetz.\u201d<\/p>\n Progressives are clear-eyed that with a Republican-controlled House and Senate, many, if not most, of Trump\u2019s populist campaign promises will not happen \u2014 if he were ever serious about them to begin with. But they believe that his voters want him to follow through. They also lack any power in Congress and are desperate for even an outside chance to influence policy.<\/p>\n Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Institute, said that his group conducted polling in the critical battleground states of Pennsylvania and Michigan during the final week of the election. He said the surveys, done in conjunction with the liberal firm Data for Progress, found that the majority of Trump\u2019s voters want him to crack down on price gouging, raise taxes on billionaires, and strengthen anti-monopoly laws.<\/p>\n \u201cTrump actually made promises to people, like helping those on Social Security, ending taxes on tips, and capping credit card interest at 10 percent,\u201d he said. \u201cHis own voters believe he has a mandate on that, plus higher taxes on billionaires and big corporations. So let\u2019s hold a mirror up to him and ask, are you going to be a hypocrite or not?\u201d<\/p>\n Not all progressives agree with that strategy. Rep. Summer Lee<\/a> (D-Pa.), a member of the so-called Squad, said of Trump, \u201cI’ve never gotten the impression that he’s been accountable to anything in his life.\u201d But, she said, \u201cI don’t fault anybody for trying.\u201d<\/p>\n