DEMOCRATS HAVE SPENT A LOT OF TIME and money fretting over what their central message should be ahead of next year’s midterms.
But despite the dizzying number of strategy sessions and consultant-led projects that have been launched in the past few months, the answer has long been staring the party right in the face. And it’s become even more clear recently.
The key for Democrats in 2026 will be portraying Donald Trump, his policies, and his ideological project as a protection racket for the elites. And here’s the good news for the party: He’s already provided more than enough fodder for them.
Just a quick rundown of the actions Trump has taken in the past few weeks tells a story of a president who can easily be portrayed as working on behalf of the rich.
The “Big Beautiful Bill” stripped away health care and food assistance from millions of vulnerable people in order to fund a tax cut for the wealthy—likely making it the biggest transfer of money from poor to rich in American history. That legislation also altered federal loan programs, which will force more students to turn to private companies to pay for their education.
The GOP’s rescissions package passed late last week is likely to shut down public radio stations that serve rural areas and are critical resources for disseminating life-saving information during hurricanes and other natural disasters.
And, of course, there is the Jeffrey Epstein saga. That lurid affair has been largely viewed through the lens of Trump selling out and offending his conspiracy-minded base. But the story is also one of class and power, with the president and his team taking a number of apparent steps to shield information about the long list of rich elites likely implicated in the investigation.
Still, waging an anti-elite campaign against Trump won’t be easy. Throughout his time in politics, Trump has managed to craft an image of himself as a populist in boardroom clothing. Though he has his own prodigious wealth and self-promoted opulent lifestyle, he’s run effectively on a promise to take on the D.C. establishment on behalf of everyday Americans. The inability of Democrats to combat this message and dislodge that image has been a source of continuous frustration for the party. It’s possible that it will continue to be going forward.
But in recent days and weeks, the party has clearly begun to string together a cohesive narrative that
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