As Democrats prepare for a second Trump term, some look for common ground

Donald Trump has not yet taken office, but prominent Democrats have already started weighing in on one of the party’s most pressing strategic questions: is there room to work with the new administration?

Donald Trump has not yet taken office, but prominent Democrats have already started weighing in on one of the party’s most pressing strategic questions: is there room to work with the new administration? It depends on who you ask. In the days leading up to Trump’s second inauguration, some Democrats in Congress have expressed openness to some of the incoming president’s Cabinet picks. Governors of blue states – including New Jersey and Maryland, where Trump gained ground in the November election -– have said they wouldn’t put resistance over advancing their state’s priorities. And a handful of prominent members of the party, including Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, have trekked to Mar-a-Lago to meet with Trump. The willingness to find common ground with the incoming president highlights a difficult reality for Democrats. After years of warning that Trump poses an existential threat to democracy, they must now confront the reality that he narrowly won the popular vote, chipped away at their coalition and is backed by loyal Republican majorities in Congress. But while elected officials have signaled their receptivity, those charged with helping Democrats win and selecting their party’s new leadership have stopped short of proactively seeking common ground. Democratic party insiders expressed skepticism that the incoming president’s agenda would offer room for compromise. “When I hear elected officials say that they are willing to find a way to work with Trump, I think we have different jobs,” said Shasti Conrad, the chair of the Washington Democratic Party. “My job as a leader of this Democratic Party is to make sure that we have more Democrats winning – it’s not to make it easier for the Republicans to do whatever they’re going to do.”