Democrats’ Protest Tactics Show Political Impotence in Trump Era

Party faces demands from activists to ramp up resistance
‘Pulling the fire alarm’ on an unfolding political crisis

Department of Homeland Security officers prevent lawmakers from entering the US Agency for International Development (USAID) headquarters on Feb. 3.Photographer: Jason C. Andrew/Bloomberg

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By Steven T. Dennis

February 8, 2025 at 3:00 PM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

Congressional Democrats have turned to street protests, all-night Senate debates and stunts like bursting into the House speaker’s office in search of the Treasury secretary to wage their fight against a blitz of executive actions, only to reinforce how little influence they have in President Donald Trump’s Washington.

Stagecraft is, for now, Democrats’ statecraft. That’s often the case for lawmakers relegated to the minority, but it’s amplified by the boldness of Trump’s power grab and the willingness of Republican lawmakers to go along with it.