‘Giving bingo’: Democrats’ quiet demonstration against Trump fails to impress
The president took a jab at the Democrats, who struggled to provide a clear response.
TroibNews 
President Donald Trump took shots at Democrats during his speech on Tuesday night, grinning as he remarked, “nothing I can say or do to make them happy.” In response, many Democrats resorted to silent protest, donning pink attire and holding up placards reading “FALSE” and “Save Medicaid.” Over a dozen members left early, some displaying shirts that proclaimed, “No Kings Live Here.”
This chaotic scene highlighted a broader issue within the Democratic Party, which has struggled to find its footing after a tough election cycle that left them without power and made effective communication in a fragmented media landscape challenging. While Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin delivered the official Democratic response on major networks, much of the party's messaging failed to reach voters' screens.
“We're all trying to get up to speed as fast as possible to take this fight right to Republicans,” Shasti Conrad, associate Democratic National Committee chair, stated in an interview with PMG following the speech. “But there's a little bit of a delay.”
Without a more impactful immediate response, frustrated Democrats turned to social media to express their dissatisfaction, with some commenting that the Democrats’ signs felt like “giving bingo” and just “didn’t land,” as former Joe Biden spokesperson Symone Sanders Townsend noted on X. North Carolina Democratic Party Chair Anderson Clayton questioned the effectiveness of their appearance, stating, “why did democrats go to this tbh,” while late-night host Stephen Colbert lampooned their signs with one of his own that read: “Try doing something.”
A Democratic strategist, who wished to remain anonymous, described the protest as “very silly, and unserious,” but expressed some empathy for the Democrats, acknowledging they felt the need to act, even if their actions were misguided.
Meanwhile, outside the chamber, Democrats intensified their political attacks on Trump. Some lawmakers made their way to the party’s influencer spin room, where they collaborated with 30 progressive-aligned social media influencers, such as Brian Tyler Cohen and Liz Plank. This initiative marked a groundbreaking effort for the party during such a high-profile address, generating political content before, during, and after Trump's speech.
Their videos quickly spread across social media, with Rep. Jasmine Crockett telling YouTuber Adam Mockler in the spin room: “We’re fighting with Greenland, we’re fighting with Canada, we’re fighting with Mexico — yet we’re in love with Putin? What is happening? This is not America. This is a terrible nightmare. Somebody slap me and wake me the fuck up.”
A House Democratic aide, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, acknowledged that one takeaway from the previous election cycle was that Democrats needed to “do a lot more work to reach people online.”
“Local TV is still really important, but it has to be a both-and strategy,” the aide remarked.
Senate Democrats, under the leadership of Sen. Cory Booker, preemptively countered Trump's speech with a series of direct-to-camera videos featuring senators reciting a script that pointedly addressed misinformation. Although Republicans ridiculed the videos for their awkwardness, figures like Elon Musk and Libs of TikTok amplified them on social media.
Booker explained in an interview with Puck that the Republican retweets “drew attention to our message today,” proving that “we can do their playbook just as well, which is to use our ecosystem of connected progressive voices to get a single message out.”
Conrad, who participated in an Instagram live session earlier that day to counter Trump’s speech, asserted that she was “confident” Democrats were ready to engage with both existing media outlets and to establish their own channels.
Trump also provided moments in his speech that Democrats could leverage in future campaign ads and social media posts. They quickly highlighted his comment about potential “disturbance” resulting from tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China.
“‘There will be a little disturbance’ is a genuinely Soviet way to describe people not being able to afford their groceries,” Senator Brian Schatz posted on X.
Some Democrats considering congressional bids in 2026 and presidential runs in 2028 looked for unconventional ways to respond. For instance, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg chose to give his first TV interview after Trump’s inauguration on Stephen Colbert’s show.
Buttigieg admonished Trump for not addressing the rising cost of groceries in his speech.
“The biggest issue on people's minds — the affordability of everyday life — is not something that got more than a few seconds of mention in his speech,” Buttigieg told Colbert. He added, “If eggs are $10 and you're a billionaire, that's a little disturbance for you, but not for most people.”
Michigan State Sen. Mallory McMorrow, who is also contemplating a Senate bid to succeed retiring Sen. Gary Peters, turned to Instagram to field questions.
“People are sick and tired of performative nonsense,” McMorrow told PMG. “They don’t want to see their elected officials try to be cute or clever. People are anxious and scared and angry and energized and want to see substance and clear direction.”
She emphasized, “Democrats need to think about how we actually cut through … not just adding to the noise."
Amid this backdrop, Democrats urged Americans to pay attention to their calls to action.
“Pick just one issue you’re passionate about and engage. And doom scrolling doesn’t count. Join a group that cares about your issue and act. And if you can’t find one, start one,” Slotkin advised.
She urged, “Don’t tune out.”
James del Carmen contributed to this report for TROIB News
This chaotic scene highlighted a broader issue within the Democratic Party, which has struggled to find its footing after a tough election cycle that left them without power and made effective communication in a fragmented media landscape challenging. While Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin delivered the official Democratic response on major networks, much of the party's messaging failed to reach voters' screens.
“We're all trying to get up to speed as fast as possible to take this fight right to Republicans,” Shasti Conrad, associate Democratic National Committee chair, stated in an interview with PMG following the speech. “But there's a little bit of a delay.”
Without a more impactful immediate response, frustrated Democrats turned to social media to express their dissatisfaction, with some commenting that the Democrats’ signs felt like “giving bingo” and just “didn’t land,” as former Joe Biden spokesperson Symone Sanders Townsend noted on X. North Carolina Democratic Party Chair Anderson Clayton questioned the effectiveness of their appearance, stating, “why did democrats go to this tbh,” while late-night host Stephen Colbert lampooned their signs with one of his own that read: “Try doing something.”
A Democratic strategist, who wished to remain anonymous, described the protest as “very silly, and unserious,” but expressed some empathy for the Democrats, acknowledging they felt the need to act, even if their actions were misguided.
Meanwhile, outside the chamber, Democrats intensified their political attacks on Trump. Some lawmakers made their way to the party’s influencer spin room, where they collaborated with 30 progressive-aligned social media influencers, such as Brian Tyler Cohen and Liz Plank. This initiative marked a groundbreaking effort for the party during such a high-profile address, generating political content before, during, and after Trump's speech.
Their videos quickly spread across social media, with Rep. Jasmine Crockett telling YouTuber Adam Mockler in the spin room: “We’re fighting with Greenland, we’re fighting with Canada, we’re fighting with Mexico — yet we’re in love with Putin? What is happening? This is not America. This is a terrible nightmare. Somebody slap me and wake me the fuck up.”
A House Democratic aide, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, acknowledged that one takeaway from the previous election cycle was that Democrats needed to “do a lot more work to reach people online.”
“Local TV is still really important, but it has to be a both-and strategy,” the aide remarked.
Senate Democrats, under the leadership of Sen. Cory Booker, preemptively countered Trump's speech with a series of direct-to-camera videos featuring senators reciting a script that pointedly addressed misinformation. Although Republicans ridiculed the videos for their awkwardness, figures like Elon Musk and Libs of TikTok amplified them on social media.
Booker explained in an interview with Puck that the Republican retweets “drew attention to our message today,” proving that “we can do their playbook just as well, which is to use our ecosystem of connected progressive voices to get a single message out.”
Conrad, who participated in an Instagram live session earlier that day to counter Trump’s speech, asserted that she was “confident” Democrats were ready to engage with both existing media outlets and to establish their own channels.
Trump also provided moments in his speech that Democrats could leverage in future campaign ads and social media posts. They quickly highlighted his comment about potential “disturbance” resulting from tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China.
“‘There will be a little disturbance’ is a genuinely Soviet way to describe people not being able to afford their groceries,” Senator Brian Schatz posted on X.
Some Democrats considering congressional bids in 2026 and presidential runs in 2028 looked for unconventional ways to respond. For instance, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg chose to give his first TV interview after Trump’s inauguration on Stephen Colbert’s show.
Buttigieg admonished Trump for not addressing the rising cost of groceries in his speech.
“The biggest issue on people's minds — the affordability of everyday life — is not something that got more than a few seconds of mention in his speech,” Buttigieg told Colbert. He added, “If eggs are $10 and you're a billionaire, that's a little disturbance for you, but not for most people.”
Michigan State Sen. Mallory McMorrow, who is also contemplating a Senate bid to succeed retiring Sen. Gary Peters, turned to Instagram to field questions.
“People are sick and tired of performative nonsense,” McMorrow told PMG. “They don’t want to see their elected officials try to be cute or clever. People are anxious and scared and angry and energized and want to see substance and clear direction.”
She emphasized, “Democrats need to think about how we actually cut through … not just adding to the noise."
Amid this backdrop, Democrats urged Americans to pay attention to their calls to action.
“Pick just one issue you’re passionate about and engage. And doom scrolling doesn’t count. Join a group that cares about your issue and act. And if you can’t find one, start one,” Slotkin advised.
She urged, “Don’t tune out.”
James del Carmen contributed to this report for TROIB News
