Dozens of Democratic lawmakers gathered on the steps of the Capitol on Wednesday to accuseDonald Trumpof spending his first100 daysdamaging the US economy and democracy with the help of “complicit” congressional Republicans.
The speeches by party leaders served as a counterpoint to Trump’s insistence ata rally in Michiganthe night before that he has “delivered the most profound change in Washington in nearly 100 years” with an administration focused on mass deportations of undocumented immigrants, the dismantling of parts of the federal government and the levying of tariffs on major US trading partners.
Democrats, meanwhile, are still reeling from a disappointing performance in last November’s elections but believe that as the economy’s health showssigns of flaggingand GOP lawmakers get to work on what is expected to be a significant piece of legislation toextend tax cuts while slashing the social safety net, they have an opportunity to regain voters’ trust.
“Donald Trump’s first 100 days can be defined by one big F-word: failure. Failure on the economy, failure on lowering costs, failure on tariffs, failure on foreign policy, failure on preserving democracy, failure on helping middle-class families,” the top Senate DemocratChuck Schumersaid from the Capitol steps.
He went on to characterize Republican lawmakers, few of whom have broken publicly with the president since his 20 January inauguration, as “co-conspirators. They are complicit. They are aiding and abetting all of Donald Trump’s failures. They’re not standing up to him once they’re involved and they will shoulder the blame.”
The party gathered hours after the release of economic data that showedthe US economy shrankin the first three months of this year, which lawmakers said was evidence Trump had broken the promise of prosperity he made to American voters.
“A hundred days into this presidency, we’ve gone from three years of solid growth in our economy to the steepest decline that we’ve seen since the pandemic. That’s the truth,” said the Delaware senator Lisa Blunt Rochester. “Groceries are up, retirement savings are down, that’s the truth. Outbreaks ofmeaslesand theavian flu, that’s the truth.”
More than 1,300 days remain in Trump’s presidency, butDemocratsare eyeing a resurgence in next November’s midterm elections. A return to a majority in the House is within reach, as the current GOP majority is just three votes, a historically low margin.
Earlier in the day, the House minority leaderHakeem Jeffriessaid that the party can only do so much without controlling at least one chamber of Congress, but promised change as soon as they returned to the majority.
“As Democrats, we will fight as hard as we can the next two years to stop bad things from happening. We will protect our system of free and fair elections, and then work hard to convince the American people to entrust us the majority next November,” Jeffries said at a speech at aWashington DCtheater.
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“At that point, we will be able to do much, much more for you,” Jeffries said, promising to “block any budget that goes after your social security, Medicare or Medicaid” and “hold theTrump administrationaccountable for its corrupt abuse of power”.
Trump’s 100th day in office came not long after major polls showed hisapproval rating had dropped well belong 50%, fueled by concerns over his economic policies but also some wariness over his aggressive approach to immigration enforcement, which has seen high-profiles cases of foreigners being removed from the countryon questionable grounds.
Yet the Democrats have their own rebuilding to do. Recent surveys have indicated that voters are sour on the party, with a CNN poll released last month findingits approval ratinghas never been lower.
The House Democratic caucus chair Pete Aguilar signaled that the party plans to put economic concerns at the heart of its pitch to voters as it eyes rebuilding legislative majorities in 2026.
“We’re going to focus on making life more affordable, making life easier for everyday Americans in these next 100 days and at every turn, until we flip the House and we flip the Senate and we put a check on the Trump administration’s reckless economic policies,” Aguilar said.