WASHINGTON DC – Despite their parlous political position, Democrats are engaged in a scorched-earth summer of mirth at President Donald Trump’s expense.
Most noted of all is the social media account of California Governor Gavin Newsom, poking satirical fun daily at Trump’s grammatical incontinence on his “Truth Social” platform. Maryland Governor Wes Moore joined the banter over the weekend, trying to rile Trump by inviting him to walk the streets of Baltimore and offering to provide “a golf cart if that makes things easier”. (Trump declined the proposal, calling the city a “hellhole”).
Democrats are also gleefully suggesting that Trump may be suffering from dementia, with the hashtag #DementiaDon gaining traction among grassroots supporters who believe that nothing else can explain Trump’s continuing embrace of false statements and beliefs.
The week has witnessed much discussion about the physical affliction exhibited on the back of Trump’s right hand. A large patch of bruised skin, which he has tried to obscure from public view during several events, remains unexplained.
Some Democrats believe it looks similar to the bruise seen on Queen Elizabeth II’s hand in the last photograph ever taken of her. After rumours of a cover-up of President Joe Biden during his term, they now suggest the possibility that Republicans are engaging in the same behaviour.
Then there’s the wishful thinking, expressed in an AI-created image of a lean, muscular Newsom giving Trump – depicted in orange prison garb – a physical pummeling in a boxing ring. But much as Democrats wish it were so, an easy victory by any of the aspirants in the pre-nascent stages of the 2028 presidential race may yet prove a challenge.
Beyond its pugnacious jabs at Trump, the party is still struggling to find a message upon which Democratic Party elites can agree. Disarray was on display in Minneapolis this week at a summer meeting of the Democratic National Committee, the party’s organising structure.
Delegates voted down a non-binding resolution calling for an arms embargo and suspension of military aid to Israel. Separately, they reaffirmed the party’s support for diversity, equity and inclusivity (DEI), even as top Democrats are being urged to avoid using the very language of “woke”.
The political movement “Third Way”, a national advocacy group championing centrist positions, provided Democrats with a list of words to avoid using if they truly hope to connect with American voters. Warning that “Democrats and their allies use an awful lot of words and phrases no ordinary person would ever dream of using”, the group recommended that references to “cultural appropriation”, “stakeholders”, “food insecurity”, “pregnant people” and “Latinx” should – among many others – be avoided.
Democrats are also reeling from fresh data revealing the extent of the mountain they now need to climb. A survey published last week in The New York Times indicates that the party is facing a voter registration crisis, with Democrats losing ground to Republicans across each of the 30 American states the party affiliation of first-time voters.
When US citizens register to vote, they are required to declare as either Democrats, Republicans or Independents – these disclosures can serve as a barometer of public opinion. The data suggests that over the past four years, the Republicans surged past the Democrats by as many as 4.5 million votes nationwide, a massive gap that the party will struggle to overcome.
Michael Pruser, director of data sciences for election analysis site Decision Desk HQ, told the newspaper “there seems to be no end to this. There is no silver lining or cavalry coming across the hill. This is month after month, year after year”.
Veteran Democrat strategist Simon Rosenberg, who often claims that his party’s grassroots are more enthusiastic about turning out to vote than their Republican brethren, is also now sounding the alarm. “We simply must make partisan voter registration – making more Democrats – a much higher priority in the coming years”, he wrote on Substack. He suggested “being open to all and hustling 24/7 to get people into our party could reinforce the…’we the people’ brand we all want to build for Democrats”.
Put another way, the party is deluding itself if it believes assailing Trump with accusations of dementia or attacking his physical appearance is an effective way to rebuild. This week’s DNC votes on Gaza and DEI are a fresh millstone around the neck of a party that is stuck up a creek in a canoe without a navigator, much less an effective paddle.
