A reckoning has arrived in Washington, D.C. President Trump is changing everything.
But a U.S. House Democrat noticed something about Trump that no one else has.
Since their severe 2024 election losses, the Democrats have been struggling to find their footing. The Party has been going through an identity crisis and there’s been no clear path forward being charted by any leader in the Democrat Party. As of now, it’s not clear who is going to be the leader for team blue in 2028 and future major presidential election cycles. Some Democrats want to double down on their virtue-signaling approach to issues, while others want to start over with their agendas and reconsider where they can ally with the American people rather than fight them.
One outspoken Democrat has recently put his Party on blast for losing all credibility for having a complete and total meltdown at every move from President Trump. U.S. House Democrat Jared Golden from Maine says that he is deeply “frustrated” that his Party is employing extremely dishonest hyperbole whenever Donald Trump says he wants to do anything at all. The idea is that calling everything Trump does “unconstitutional” and “anti-democratic” is dishonest and will only serve to make Americans feel disaffected by your own Party. This is obviously true, but it’s a lesson the vast majority of Democrats refuse to admit.
Rep. Jared Golden Calls for More Thoughtful Democrat Responses to Republican Agendas
In an interview with The Washington Post on Friday, Democratic Representative Jared Golden of Maine called on his party to reconsider its reflexive responses to Republican proposals, urging a more measured approach to the GOP’s initiatives. Golden, who represents Maine’s most competitive district, expressed frustration with the tendency among many Democrats to quickly label President Donald Trump’s agenda as “dictatorial or illegal,” arguing that such rhetoric undermines the party’s credibility and effectiveness.
Golden’s concerns are particularly relevant in light of recent actions taken by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has launched sweeping efforts to restructure executive agencies and eliminate what it deems wasteful government spending. These actions have prompted some Democrats to sound the alarm, accusing Trump of overstepping constitutional boundaries. However, Golden believes that such immediate, harsh characterizations miss the mark.
“I don’t think that it’s been very effective, the Dem response, so far,” Golden told The Washington Post. “In fact, I’m frustrated by it. If you make everything Defcon 5, then eventually nothing is Defcon 5, you know what I mean? And on questions of overreach of constitutional authority, it’s not always so cut and dry.”
There’s a palpable tension within the Democratic Party over how best to respond to Trump’s agenda. While some lawmakers have adopted a more combative stance, accusing the president of attempting an autocratic takeover, others, like Golden, are urging caution and a more reasoned approach.
For instance, several high-profile Democratic lawmakers have used strong language to denounce Trump’s attempts to reorganize federal agencies, particularly through the DOGE’s focus on cutting spending and reshaping government priorities. Democratic Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley, for example, vowed to bring “fire” to the GOP in response to Elon Musk’s involvement in the Treasury Department and other agencies. Similarly, Democratic New Jersey Rep. LaMonica McIver threatened to “shut down” the Senate over what she described as a “hostile takeover” by the DOGE. Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar even compared Trump’s cuts to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to the “beginning of a dictatorship.”
Rep. @IlhanMN Omar (D-MN) at USAID: "This is what the beginning of dictatorship looks like." pic.twitter.com/KhIYsr2col
— CSPAN (@cspan) February 3, 2025
Golden, however, took issue with such immediate and intense language, arguing that it weakens the party’s overall messaging. He described his party’s response as “undisciplined,” especially when it comes to labeling Trump’s actions as unconstitutional without fully considering the nuances of the issues at hand. Golden also cautioned that overreacting to every policy move could obscure more important, substantive issues that Democrats should focus on opposing.
“But a part of my concern with responding to everything with outrage is it obscures — potentially — what they actually do,” Golden explained. “Like if they put forward a deficit-busting tax policy, it’s just terrible for the country. Deficit-funded tax breaks for the rich.”
While Golden has joined his colleagues in criticizing the DOGE’s actions, particularly in relation to Musk’s involvement, he also emphasized that streamlining federal processes and cutting unnecessary spending are objectives that could find bipartisan support. He noted that “you’d be hard-pressed” to find anyone who opposes these efforts, even among Democrats. The issue, according to Golden, is that the constitutional concerns raised by Musk’s initiatives have become a point of contention, potentially undermining a policy area that otherwise holds promise for cross-party cooperation.
“Elon Musk is just, I think, getting out ahead of the president’s skis, and is just going in there and moving fast and aggressively, arising concerns and questions of ‘Is this legal? Is this not legal?’ is creating a headache for the president’s agenda on an issue that otherwise would be ripe for bipartisan work,” Golden said.
Golden is a part of a growing sentiment among some Democrats who are open to working with Republicans, even on policies traditionally opposed by their party. Prominent figures such as Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman, and New York City Mayor Eric Adams have also indicated a willingness to collaborate with the Trump administration on various proposals. Golden, himself, has even gone as far as to defend Donald Trump’s tariffs in face of the public, mainstream media outcry over the tariffs.
Let’s keep the conversation about tariffs honest by telling the full story: pic.twitter.com/4y0CC7ypvB
— Congressman Jared Golden (@RepGolden) February 5, 2025
As a member of the House Blue Dog Coalition — a group of centrist, pragmatic Democrats — Golden has long advocated for a more balanced, practical approach to governance. Elected to Congress in 2018, Golden’s views represent a segment of the Democratic Party that is focused on pragmatic, bipartisan solutions rather than ideological purity. Whether the Party moves in that direction overall is yet to be determined.
Stay tuned to the DC Daily Journal.
