Obama’s former adviser to TV4 News: “He can do just about anything”
During Trump’s speech in Congress, loud protests were heard against the US president. He was educated by the Democrats, who held up signs with the text “Musk steals”. Democrat Al Green was ejected from the Chamber and several wore pink clothes to pay attention to women’s rights, something they believe Trump is counteracting.
But despite the protests, there is not much Democrats can actually do at the federal level to stop Trump’s progress.
– Trump has power. As long as he has the Republican party behind him, he can do just about anything, except the Supreme Court’s ability to explain certain things he is doing, Alex Lange tells TV4 News.
Lange worked for Barack Obama’s campaign in 2012 and has been a consultant for several different democratic campaigns and organizations, especially as research where he worked with strategy and the opposition. Today he works for the human rights organization Civil Rights Defenders. According to him, the Democrats are quite so paralyzed at the moment.
– They have no power to stop what Trump is doing. You can’t take him to national law before you have power in Congress. They do not have that kind of power because they did not go well for them in the election.
Alex Lange who worked as a Barack Obama adviser
Alex Lange who worked as a Barack Obama adviser
The protests were important – but can be used by Trump
At the same time, Lange says that the protests during Trump’s speech in Congress were important symbolic acts.
– It was an effective way to show to those who want the Democratic Party to do more to oppose Trump, that here we go quite far beyond the traditions that exist.
But Alex Langer also believes that the Democrats’ actions during Trump’s speech can land differently, depending on how to interpret it. In the long run, it can mean an advantage for Trump.
– It also gives Trump a good position to say, here the Democrats are unusual in some way. They are extreme in some way. They do not stick to the traditions. They have no respect for the president. And thus they do not have respect for the United States. So it was also a good location for him to say, those are just anti-American extreme people who oppose everything instead of being constructive.
This is what Democrats can do
But even though the Democrats have no power to defy Trump in Congress, one can still campaign and drive opinion against Trump’s decision. You also have the opportunity to oppose Trump at the state level in the courts, says Alex Lange.
– The party’s biggest challenge right now is how to take back power in Congress. It is a mid -year election in two years and then it is about winning at the state level, in all the congressional districts and in the states that have the Senate seats for the entire state.
To do that, the Democrats have several challenges ahead of them.
– You have to find both narratives that work where you show a measure to what Trump is doing with the United States and with the presidency itself, ie the power he collects. At the same time, you have to recruit good candidates who can win this in all these districts.
But even though the Democrats focus on this today, it is difficult for them to find the right energy, says Alex Lange.
– I think it will take time for them to find it and it also depends practically on what Trump does.