Alan Zendell, November 7, 2026
Two days after a stunning election defeat the likes of which the nation has rarely seen (as Donald Trump might say if his side had won) Trump sounded accepting of reality, if not exactly conciliatory. He told the media he could work and make deals with Democrats, whom he had consistently mocked, ridiculed, and insulted since the Republican Party and Fox News offered him a path to unlimited power and grift. Trump has no political ideology of his own. He’s a political mercenary who sells himself to whomever offers him the greatest reward.
For one day, the voters who had somewhat skeptically handed Democrats their victory could hope that Trump would care more about his legacy and try to get things done that would help average Americans rather than just his wealthy friends who don’t need his help. But by Election Day plus three, that hope was dashed, as Trump’s narcissism and insanity were once again on display with anger and defiance. Replacing the highly regarded Susie Wiles as White House Chief of Staff with the vile White Supremacist, Stephen Miller, and defending his Secretary of Defense (NOT War) Pete Hegseth in the face of a strong bipartisan push to oust him told Americans we were in for a combative two years.
A rational Trump might take the long view, choosing to be remembered in the history books as a president who could bend with the winds of change. But Trump’s irrational, desperate need to be seen as an absolute winner always prevails when it competes with reasonable governing. Now that Trump has made it clear that he will fight tooth and nail for everything the voters told him they hated, the Democrats know what they’ll be up against. It will be completely on them to regain the trust of average Americans and prove that they can govern effectively.
The New York Times Editorial Board today published a wonderfully crafted agenda Democrats would be well-advised to adhere to. It echoed what most of us who want real, positive change rather than a Democrat-driven revenge tour have been saying all week. They said it much better than I can, so I’ll reproduce the final paragraph of today’s piece, here.
Where can a modern national agenda begin? Picture a parent who can afford a child’s medicine without dread. Picture families who can raise young children without drowning in costs. Picture a generation that can once again own a home. Picture an economy in which those who have prospered most, including the titans of artificial intelligence, help build a bountiful future for everyone else. Every idea Democrats advance should pass three simple tests: Will it work? Will it reach as many Americans as possible? Will people feel it?
Those concluding words don’t address the wars in Ukraine and the Persian Gulf, the massive billionaire-oriented tax cuts in Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill, his failed tariffs or his attempt to undermine both our Constitution and our international alliances. They don’t have to, because all of those things are implied if the Democrats are to deliver what the voters clearly want. They also don’t address the unprecedented corruption of Trump, his family, and his top advisors, nor do they specifically address AI, jobs, or inflation.
Today, voters aren’t interested in hearing about political theories, economic technobabble, or administration officials who would rather project our military as a preemptive war machine than a staunch defender of the Western alliance against the expansionist designs of China and Russia. They would rather hear that they’ll be able to house and feed their families, and have access to health care when they’re sick. If Democrats stick to the approach laid out by The Times, they will have a chance to win back the respectability they’ve squandered.
The first big test may come next week, as KY Representative Thomas Massie, who was primaried out of his seat by Trump, has promised to introduce a resolution to oust Hegseth. Despite both Hegseth and Trump’s aggressive defenses of the Secretary of Defense, it’s not clear how either Trump or the Democrats will respond to Massie’s initiative.
While a bipartisan effort to get rid of Hegseth sounds good on the surface, it’s almost certain that hanging on to the unpopular and incompetent Hegseth isn’t worth Trump investing much of his remaining political capital to save him. If Hegseth is gone by December, Trump will have a far easier time appointing a replacement who is aligned with his policies than if he has to obtain approval from the Democratic majority in January. And if the Democrats are unable to resist gleefully jumping up and down on Hegseth’s political grave, they will look as craven as Trump.
Nothing in the world Trump is bequeathing us is simple. Even if the Democrats do their jobs well and with integrity, the road ahead won’t be easy. But at the first sign of disarray among the Democrats’ ranks, the next two years will descend into chaos with little hope that the presidential election of 2028 will put our country back on track.
