Democrats have lost the plot. And it’s all crumbling down.
And now a top Nancy Pelosi advisor undercut Democrat leadership with a shocking exposé.
Jeffries’ Missed Opportunity: Failing to Capitalize on Trump’s Vulnerabilities
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries is under fire from within his own party, with a former top advisor to Nancy Pelosi criticizing his inability to seize the political moment against President Donald Trump. Ashley Etienne, a seasoned Democratic strategist who guided Pelosi through Trump’s first impeachment, voiced frustration on Politico’s Deep Dive podcast, arguing that Jeffries is squandering a golden opportunity to rally Democrats against Trump’s faltering administration.
“Trump is just giving us all this incredible red meat. I mean, I’ve never seen anything like this before. It’s like the biggest gift any party has been given by the opposition, and we’re just squandering it, to a degree,” Etienne said.
While Etienne acknowledged Jeffries’ strengths, praising his overall performance and expressing “a tremendous amount of respect” for him, she pointed to a critical lapse in messaging discipline. “He gave a speech this morning. I don’t have any talking points in my phone about what he said. And I’m going to be doing TV and this interview all day. That’s a failure,” she stated.
“How do you get to discipline if you’re not telling people what the hell you want them to say? At least emphatically, at least tonally.” Her remarks highlight a growing concern that Jeffries’ leadership lacks the clarity and force needed to unite Democrats and exploit Trump’s plummeting approval ratings.
Democratic Disarray: Protests Overshadow Trump’s Flaws
Etienne’s critique extends beyond Jeffries’ messaging failures to the broader dysfunction within the Democratic caucus, exemplified by their embarrassing conduct during Trump’s recent address to Congress. Despite Jeffries’ explicit request for no protests, liberal members disrupted the event, drawing headlines that shifted focus from Trump’s divisive rhetoric to Democratic infighting.
“If you look at the headlines post-the speech, even during the speech, it was more about Democrats and Democrats protesting rather than what Trump was actually saying. And in those kind of moments, you don’t want to become the story. You want Trump to be the story,” Etienne said. “And I also thought it was a problem for Mr. Jeffries. I mean, it really says a lot about how people value his leadership. He asked for no protest. And what did they do? They protest 50 different ways.”
This lack of discipline has handed Republicans a narrative advantage, with the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) gleefully capitalizing on the discord. “Hakeem Jeffries is the so-called leader of a team that doesn’t fear him, doesn’t follow him, and now, doesn’t even pretend to respect him,” NRCC spokesman Mike Marinella declared.
The protests, coupled with Jeffries’ failure to provide cohesive talking points, have undermined Democrats’ ability to highlight GOP policies, such as proposed cuts to Medicaid and food assistance, which have sparked public backlash and forced Republicans to delay key legislative pushes.
Internal Strife and Leadership Woes Plague Democrats
The criticism of Jeffries doesn’t stop with Etienne. Democratic strategist Julian Epstein, a former House Judiciary Committee counsel, described Jeffries as an ineffective communicator with a passive leadership style. “He’s not a particularly effective speaker, gives no sense of direction or purpose, seems intent on not offending anyone, and has a leadership style that seems extremely passive,” Epstein said.
He warned that Democrats risk drifting toward an unproductive “hard protest left,” likening the party to “a big blob that goes wherever gravity takes them.” This internal chaos, Epstein argued, overshadows any advantage Democrats might gain from Trump’s unpopularity.
Jeffries’ defenders, including spokesperson Christiana Stephenson, have pushed back, emphasizing Trump’s declining poll numbers and GOP struggles.
“Donald Trump’s approval ratings are plummeting, and he’s bringing House Republicans down with him. Extreme MAGA Republicans have been forced to delay their plans to advance Trump’s centerpiece legislative priority due to intense backlash against their scheme to enact the largest cuts in history to Medicaid and food assistance. Let’s keep the main thing, the main thing,” Stephenson told Fox News Digital.
Yet, even allies like the Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC) implicitly acknowledged messaging gaps, with co-founder Adam Green noting, “We hear more from Jeffries than we ever heard from Pelosi.”
As Democrats grapple with infighting and a lack of unified strategy, Etienne’s rebuke points to a critical challenge: Jeffries’ leadership is failing to harness the party’s potential to dominate the narrative against a vulnerable Trump. With Republicans seizing on this disarray, Democrats risk ceding ground in a political landscape ripe for their taking.
