‘Shouting from the rooftops’: Democrats seize on Trump's tariffs focusing on midterm elections
Democrats aim to leverage the repercussions of Trump’s tariffs to amplify their criticism of the administration and rally party support in preparation for the 2026 elections.
TroibNews 
The Democratic Party continues to seek a response to President Donald Trump, focusing on a midterm message: Trump, supported by congressional Republicans, is damaging the economy.
This week, global financial markets experienced turmoil following Trump's implementation of extensive tariffs on foreign trading partners, a move that economics experts criticized as irrational. Investors have felt the impact, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average still on a downward trajectory on Friday after significant losses the previous day.
After losing the White House in November, Democrats have faced challenges in unifying their messaging. However, lawmakers and strategists believe that Trump’s recent “Liberation Day” provides an opportunity for the party to criticize the president and the Republicans on what has historically been his strong point: the economy.
Democrats swiftly took aim at the consequences of Trump's economic policies—along with the inaction from Republican leaders—indicating plans to use the ensuing economic chaos to galvanize their base ahead of the midterms.
“I think that the party as a whole needs to be screaming from the rooftops,” said Alejandro Verdin, a Chicago-based Democratic strategist, about the party's response to Trump's economic approach.
The push coincides with early indicators of a favorable midterm climate for Democrats. Recently, Democratic-backed Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Susan Crawford won decisively against her Trump-endorsed rival, helping maintain the court’s liberal majority. Additionally, although Democrats did not win, they performed unexpectedly well in two predominantly Republican Florida House districts.
Democrats aim to extend their anti-tariff message beyond the president, directing their criticism at congressional Republicans—who have thus far indicated a reluctance to challenge Trump—claiming they are complicit as he disrupts both the American economy and global trade.
“Every single one of the House Republicans and Senate Republicans supporting this kind of reckless approach, this unnecessary trade war, need to be thrown out of office and held accountable for the pain that they are intentionally inflicting on the American people,” House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries stated Thursday.
Republicans have downplayed the significance of the initial days of economic disruption following Trump's tariffs, arguing that Democrats' concerns are misplaced and asserting that the policy reflects Trump's commitment to American workers.
“Once upon a time, Democrats backed the American worker—now, they’re all in to support Beijing. President Trump and Republicans are committed to putting American workers and jobs first,” commented Emily Tuttle, spokesperson for the National Republican Congressional Committee.
Nonetheless, Democratic strategists foresee potential repercussions for Republicans regarding the economy, an area where the GOP has historically targeted Democrats as weak.
“Democrats have an opportunity to say that Republicans lied to you,” stated Matt McDermott, a Democratic pollster and senior vice president of Whitman Insight Strategies. “They told you that they would lower the price of all of these goods, they’ve done the opposite, and it’s time for a change.”
Trump has long built his political persona around economic strength, pledging in his 2024 campaign to invigorate the economy and criticizing Democratic opponents for rising grocery prices under their administration.
However, tariffs could present a vulnerability. A national Marquette Law School poll conducted in March, prior to the tariffs being enacted, revealed that 58 percent of respondents believed tariffs would negatively impact the U.S. economy. Democrats, too, face a hurdle, with 62 percent of respondents expressing a negative view of the party.
Yasmin Radjy, executive director of the progressive organizing group Swing Left, remarked that the organization plans to ensure there are “electoral costs” for congressional Republicans “rubber-stamping” Trump’s “dangerous economic agenda.”
“While Trump is wreaking havoc on the economy, congressional Republicans are standing idly by,” Radjy stated. “From our vantage point, that’s not only unacceptable, but that’s actually something that is critical to spotlight.”
Democrats contend they have a chance in vital battleground states to illustrate an alternative vision.
“It’s going to hit all of the states—it’s going to hit working families the hardest,” said Lauren Chou, a spokesperson for the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, which focuses on state legislative elections. “Costs are going to go up. But the difference that you see is that Democrats are proactively trying to mitigate the disaster that’s coming by passing legislation to make life easier for working families, whereas Republicans are burying their heads in the sand.”
Chou noted that this effort is already yielding results, citing recent Democratic victories in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Iowa as evidence that addressing voter concerns is effective.
However, Democratic strategists caution that the party must proactively communicate its plans for the economy, rather than solely attack Trump—especially considering how Americans demonstrated a willingness to overlook his past missteps and reelected him in 2024.
“It can’t just be chaos, chaos, chaos—we have to offer a real solution,” Verdin advised.
Sophie Wagner for TROIB News
This week, global financial markets experienced turmoil following Trump's implementation of extensive tariffs on foreign trading partners, a move that economics experts criticized as irrational. Investors have felt the impact, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average still on a downward trajectory on Friday after significant losses the previous day.
After losing the White House in November, Democrats have faced challenges in unifying their messaging. However, lawmakers and strategists believe that Trump’s recent “Liberation Day” provides an opportunity for the party to criticize the president and the Republicans on what has historically been his strong point: the economy.
Democrats swiftly took aim at the consequences of Trump's economic policies—along with the inaction from Republican leaders—indicating plans to use the ensuing economic chaos to galvanize their base ahead of the midterms.
“I think that the party as a whole needs to be screaming from the rooftops,” said Alejandro Verdin, a Chicago-based Democratic strategist, about the party's response to Trump's economic approach.
The push coincides with early indicators of a favorable midterm climate for Democrats. Recently, Democratic-backed Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Susan Crawford won decisively against her Trump-endorsed rival, helping maintain the court’s liberal majority. Additionally, although Democrats did not win, they performed unexpectedly well in two predominantly Republican Florida House districts.
Democrats aim to extend their anti-tariff message beyond the president, directing their criticism at congressional Republicans—who have thus far indicated a reluctance to challenge Trump—claiming they are complicit as he disrupts both the American economy and global trade.
“Every single one of the House Republicans and Senate Republicans supporting this kind of reckless approach, this unnecessary trade war, need to be thrown out of office and held accountable for the pain that they are intentionally inflicting on the American people,” House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries stated Thursday.
Republicans have downplayed the significance of the initial days of economic disruption following Trump's tariffs, arguing that Democrats' concerns are misplaced and asserting that the policy reflects Trump's commitment to American workers.
“Once upon a time, Democrats backed the American worker—now, they’re all in to support Beijing. President Trump and Republicans are committed to putting American workers and jobs first,” commented Emily Tuttle, spokesperson for the National Republican Congressional Committee.
Nonetheless, Democratic strategists foresee potential repercussions for Republicans regarding the economy, an area where the GOP has historically targeted Democrats as weak.
“Democrats have an opportunity to say that Republicans lied to you,” stated Matt McDermott, a Democratic pollster and senior vice president of Whitman Insight Strategies. “They told you that they would lower the price of all of these goods, they’ve done the opposite, and it’s time for a change.”
Trump has long built his political persona around economic strength, pledging in his 2024 campaign to invigorate the economy and criticizing Democratic opponents for rising grocery prices under their administration.
However, tariffs could present a vulnerability. A national Marquette Law School poll conducted in March, prior to the tariffs being enacted, revealed that 58 percent of respondents believed tariffs would negatively impact the U.S. economy. Democrats, too, face a hurdle, with 62 percent of respondents expressing a negative view of the party.
Yasmin Radjy, executive director of the progressive organizing group Swing Left, remarked that the organization plans to ensure there are “electoral costs” for congressional Republicans “rubber-stamping” Trump’s “dangerous economic agenda.”
“While Trump is wreaking havoc on the economy, congressional Republicans are standing idly by,” Radjy stated. “From our vantage point, that’s not only unacceptable, but that’s actually something that is critical to spotlight.”
Democrats contend they have a chance in vital battleground states to illustrate an alternative vision.
“It’s going to hit all of the states—it’s going to hit working families the hardest,” said Lauren Chou, a spokesperson for the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, which focuses on state legislative elections. “Costs are going to go up. But the difference that you see is that Democrats are proactively trying to mitigate the disaster that’s coming by passing legislation to make life easier for working families, whereas Republicans are burying their heads in the sand.”
Chou noted that this effort is already yielding results, citing recent Democratic victories in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Iowa as evidence that addressing voter concerns is effective.
However, Democratic strategists caution that the party must proactively communicate its plans for the economy, rather than solely attack Trump—especially considering how Americans demonstrated a willingness to overlook his past missteps and reelected him in 2024.
“It can’t just be chaos, chaos, chaos—we have to offer a real solution,” Verdin advised.
Sophie Wagner for TROIB News
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