THE LEADERBOARD — Playing Defense: How Democrats Can Tackle Trump’s Playbook
Issue 38; February 2, 2025
This week, multiple readers of THE LEADERBOARD asked me what the Democratic Party should do to counter Donald Trump’s offensive (and offensive) strategy of flooding the news cycle with chaos, undermining our democracy, and pushing through his extreme agenda by executive fiat at breakneck speed.
Honestly, there may not be a clear, obvious answer — but one thing is certain: The Democrats current approach isn't working. So, here are five suggestions for how they can get back in the game and slow down Trump’s all out assault on American life.
1. Capitalize On Good Field Position & Convert Trump’s Turnovers Into Points:
In the chaotic aftermath that followed Trump signing an avalanche of Executive Orders (many of them blatantly unconstitutional) one stood out as an obvious fumble. The EO ordering a widespread government funding freeze threatened to defund many popular programs — among them federal cancer research. Democrats should make issues like this a party wide talking point. Force everyone in the Trump administration to defend their leader. Democrats at every level should have been immediately standing with non-partisan cancer researchers framing this EO as an assault on science, health, and progress. They should completely own this issue—make it partisan—an easy task given that the cancer moonshot program was President Biden’s most personal initiative. Forcing Trump to defend unpopular policies like this one will either cost him a lot of political capital or force him to rethink his sledgehammer approach to government and maybe even call a time out. Just as importantly, Democrats should use bipartisan issues like this to re-energize and expand their base. After all, who doesn’t want to join the team fighting against cancer?
2. Democrats Must Be Willing To Play Road Games:
Donald Trump is an expert at maximizing and exploiting his media coverage through partisan rallies and photo-ops across the country. Now that Democrats are no longer shackled by an aging party leader they should immediately put this play back in the front of their own political playbook and call it often. There are plenty of youthful, articulate, telegenic figures in the party who can effectively make their case directly to the American people. Pete Buttigieg, Gavin Newsom, Amy Klobuchar, and Hakeem Jeffries should be showing up wherever Trump goes and forcing the media to cover their press availability right alongside Trump’s. And they should be making their cases in front of crowds. They may not be able to win legislatively in the short term, but at least by implementing this strategy they won't also be ceding the public relations fight too. As an added bonus this strategy assures that Trump’s lies will be immediately fact checked. Rapid, real time response is the key to thwarting Trump, but for now they are going to have play these games on his home turf.
3. Slow Down Trump’s Fast Break:
Trump has governed fast out of the gate because he knows that his no huddle offense is very difficult for a party in the minority to defend against. Ironically this is the exact opposite strategy that he successfully employed over the last four years as a defendant in court where he rightly calculated that delay was best legal and political strategy. To effectively counter Trump’s tactics, Democrats should learn from Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy who successfully weathered the shock and awe of the early days of Russia’s invasion by strategically picking defensive battles and frustrating Russia and Putin over time. Democrats don't need to land a knockout blow — they can’t — they just have to slow Trump down enough to frustrate him. The longer his agenda gets stalled in Congress, and the more details of his plans become public, the more unpopular he will become, and the more mistakes he will be prone to make.
4. Put Points On The Board:
Rank and file Democrats are demoralized. They desperately need a moral victory to rally behind. One way to slow down Trump’s momentum is to successfully block at least one of his unqualified cabinet level nominees. RFK Jr., Kash Patel and Tulsi Gabbard are clearly the most vulnerable. Democrats should use their entire playbook—filibusters, legislative delays, blanket holds, denying all unanimous consent motions—whatever it takes to block these confirmations. Stand up. Show fight. Take some political risk. Create a scene. They still might lose some (or even all) of these battles, but there is honor in the fight, and the effort — and voters will ultimately reward them for it.
5. Exploit Rule Changes — And Weaknesses In Trump’s Own Game-Plan:
Under normal circumstances a new president doesn’t “own” the economy they inherit from their predecessor for a year (and sometimes longer) because it takes at least that long for the new administration’s policies to take effect. But these aren’t normal times. If Donald Trump wants to take credit for any improvements to American lives after only ten days in office then Democrats should immediately start asking the question “Are you better off now than you were a week ago?" Force Trump to answer for the immediate price hikes and stock market downturn that has occurred since he took office. Make him pay a political price for stealing credit for the economy that he inherited. And if he still insists on taking that credit, democrats must convince Americans to hold him responsible for any bad or ugly consequences that result from his policies.
Some Quick Hits:
Authenticity matters. Democrats should avoid even a hint of hypocrisy. Don't criticize Trump for golfing—praise him for it. Every minute he spends on the golf course is a minute he isn’t pushing his extreme agenda. Publicly thank him for every round he plays.
Defend your core beliefs — even if they are unpopular in the moment. If you are right, and you sell your ideas well, they will become popular.
Don’t use hyperbole against Trump — say what you mean and mean what you say. If you believe Trump is a fascist, say it, own it and defend it — or don’t say it at all. Over time this will create a vital contrast between your leadership and Trump’s transactional nature — one that I also think voters will come to appreciate.
Finally, It’s important to understand that these are political strategies—not solutions. None of the above will reverse Trump’s most harmful executive orders or improve life for the most vulnerable members of our society who feel that they are now under constant attack by their own government. These are merely strategic suggestions that Democrats can implement to become a successful opposition party for the next few years.
The good news? Republicans in Congress continue to prove themselves completely incapable of governing the country—which should give Democrats hope in their quest to rebuild the coalition of voters necessary for them to win future elections. And of course Trump still has plenty of his own faults to exploit.
Want more good news? Trump’s honeymoon may already be over. Polls show Trump’s popularity declining and in the very first special election since he took office Democrat Mike Zimmer defeated Republican Katie Whittington, flipping Iowa State Senate District 35, a district Trump won by 21 points last November.
And now, on that optimistic note, here are this week’s Best and Worst Leaders, as always, numbered only for your convenience.
This Week’s Best Leaders:
Caroline Kennedy — Typically private, she took a bold public stand against her cousin RFK Jr.’s nomination as Secretary of Health and Human Services, prioritizing national well-being over family loyalty. True leadership requires courage and sacrifice, and she has demonstrated both.
Senators Chuck Grassley and Dick Durbin — United in bipartisan oversight, they demanded answers from Trump regarding his unlawful dismissal of over a dozen Inspectors General, a move that ignored the legal requirement to notify Congress 30 days in advance of their firing.
U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan — Her decision to grant a temporary stay in response to a lawsuit over halted federal disbursements helped block Trump’s reckless executive action, ultimately forcing him to backtrack amid bipartisan outrage.
USDA Inspector General Phyllis Fong — A 22-year veteran, Fong refused to comply with Trump’s illegal termination order and was forcibly removed from her role. Before leaving, she reaffirmed that Trump’s actions violated the law, setting an example of courage and integrity that more Inspectors General should have followed.
First Responders to California Wildfires, the DCA Tragedy, and the Philadelphia Jet Crash — These heroes once again stepped up in the face of a crisis, demonstrating selflessness and professionalism under extreme circumstances.
Dick Button (RIP) — A true pioneer of figure skating, the two-time Olympic gold medalist and five-time world champion introduced the flying camel spin and later brought his knowledge of the sport to generations of fans as a commentator.
UFC President Dana White — His firm and unequivocal condemnation of Bryce Mitchell’s hateful comments was a model of strong leadership. Other leaders should take notes on how to respond to bigotry and antisemitism with clarity and force.
David Lebryk — A dedicated 30-year Treasury Department veteran and Acting Secretary, he was forced out by Elon Musk for refusing to provide highly sensitive government payment data. His principled stand against political interference deserves recognition.
Richard Grenell — Successfully negotiated the release of six detained American citizens in Venezuela, securing their safe return home.
The Anglican Church — Rescinded the license of Michigan priest Calvin Robinson after he mimicked Elon Musk’s Nazi salute at the National Pro-Life Summit in Washington, D.C. Swift and decisive action against extremism within your ranks is what leadership looks like.
Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) & Aaja Chemnitz (Greenland MP) — As co-chairs of the Standing Committee of Parliamentarians of the Arctic Region, they reaffirmed Greenland’s sovereignty and rejected any notion of it becoming a U.S. asset: “Greenland is not for sale.” A powerful reminder that alliances are built on partnership, not ownership.
Canadian PM Justin Trudeau & Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum — Their forceful, pragmatic, cooperative approach to leadership in the face of Trump’s ill conceived trade war against their nations is giving a real-time diplomatic blueprint to other leaders around the world — showing them how to stand up to Trump in a strong, measured appropriate way. Their proportional response to his economic attacks will undoubtedly be carefully studied by leaders across the globe.
This Week’s Worst Leaders:
Acting AG James McHenry — Orchestrated a sweeping purge at the DOJ, firing prosecutors who worked on Jan. 6 cases and targeting officials involved in Trump-related investigations. This blatant weaponization of justice department threatens the integrity of our entire legal system.
RFK Jr. — His confirmation hearing made public what was already obvious: he is unfit for public office and a direct threat to our public health and safety. His nomination should be rejected overwhelmingly and in bipartisan fashion.
Kash Patel — Trump’s pick for FBI Director shared an AI-generated video of himself chainsawing political opponents—including members of Congress—and published an actual enemies list of government officials. Sure history repeats itself, but at least President Nixon waited until after taking office to compile his.
Former Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) — Rightfully sentenced to 11 years in prison for bribery and corruption.
Dr. Phil McGraw — A TV psychologist with no professional license embedding himself with ICE agents during immigration raids? Clearly a propaganda stunt designed to sanitize Trump’s cruel immigration policies. The fact that ICE agents were reportedly told to “dress for the cameras” only confirms the obvious.
Senate Republicans — Not a single GOP senator was willing to co-sponsor a purely symbolic resolution condemning Trump for pardoning Jan. 6 rioters who assaulted police officers. Here’s the “controversial” language they refused to support: “The Senate disapproves of any pardons for individuals who were found guilty of assaulting Capitol Police officers.”
Tom Homan — Trump’s “border czar” defended his plan to deploy ICE agents into schools and then complained that migrants were “too educated” about their constitutional rights. A telling admission from someone likely intent on violating those rights.
Charles Koch — Despite Trump’s personal attacks on Charles, he authorized his conservative network to spend $20 million to push tax cuts for the ultra-wealthy. For Koch, it’s obvious that the old adage “Sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me — as long as I still get my huge tax break” applies.
USAID Acting Director Jason Gray — Placed 50 staffers—mostly lawyers—on administrative leave for allegedly “circumventing the President’s Executive Orders.” Another step toward authoritarianism in Trump’s government-wide purge.
Google — Bowed to Trump by renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America” in their U.S. based applications. Corporate capitulation to Trump’s authoritarian demands is are a troubling trend. I wonder, will we all be living in New Trump and traveling the Trump Bridge to Trumpsylvania by 2028? I hope not!
Rep. Rich McCormick (R-GA) — Argued for cutting childhood cancer research grants and suggested kids should get jobs instead of receiving free school lunches. Reminder: school lunch programs feed children as young as four!
UFC fighter Bryce Mitchell — Claimed “Hitler was a good guy” because he wanted to go after “greedy Jews” and “gays.” Side note: Mr. Mitchell was reportedly an invited guest at one of Trump’s inauguration parties.
The Defense Intelligence Agency — Ended official observances of Holocaust Remembrance Day, MLK Day, Pride Month, Black History Month, Women’s History Month, and more. It’s hard to learn from history when you refuse to acknowledge it. Unsurprisingly the Secretary of Defense almost immediately extended this misguided policy to the entire DoD.
META — Settled Trump’s lawsuit over his post-Jan. 6 Facebook ban, agreeing to pay $25M—$22M of which goes directly to Trump’s presidential library fund. Proof that very powerful billionaires with no conscience can buy other very powerful billionaires with no conscience incredibly cheaply.
Joe Rogan — Lied to his audience and the world about Kamala Harris not trying hard to appear on his show before the election—at the urging of Elon Musk and Dana White. A complete and total fraud who should not ever again be considered anything but a lying, partisan hack.
Elon Musk — His “Fork in the Road” directive has plunged the federal government into chaos. His aides have locked officials out of workstations and gained access to highly sensitive government employee data. Musk may be the single most dangerous private citizen in America.
Donald Trump — The sheer volume of reckless decisions he made this week was staggering. Here is a small sampling:
Threatened a trade war with Colombia over its refusal to accept U.S. deportation flights before ultimately backing down.
Fired more than a dozen Inspectors General in clear violation of federal law.
Ordered public health officials to cut ties with the World Health Organization.
Froze nearly all federal funding (before being forced to rescind the EO. Amid bipartisan backlash.
Proposed sending 30,000 migrants to Guantanamo Bay.
Blamed DEI for a tragic Potomac plane crash without any evidence to support his racist theory.
Announced 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico, 10% tariffs on China, and future tariffs on the EU.
Fact of the Week:
Since World War II, the president's party has LOST an average of 26 seats in the House and 4 seats in the Senate in the subsequent midterm elections. If Democrats match these averages they would regain control of both chambers of Congress in 2026.