Democrats Can’t Stop Trump—Because They Don’t Really Want To

The Quiet Consensus Destroying America

For years, Democrats have clung to the same message: Trump is bad. Trump is dumb. Trump is breaking things. They’ve called him a threat to democracy, a criminal, a danger to the world order. And yet—he keeps winning. He keeps consolidating power. He keeps getting stronger.

Why?

Because Democrats don’t actually have an alternative to offer. That’s the dirty secret of American politics right now. They aren’t fighting Trumpism in any real sense because they don’t fundamentally disagree with him on the biggest issues of power, economics, and governance. They don’t want to stop the destruction of public goods; they just want it done more politely, with better PR.

The Illusion of Resistance

Democrats and their consultants want you to believe they are fighting. They flood the media with speeches, lawsuits, and dramatic warnings that “democracy is at risk.” They hold up protest signs in Congress, stage symbolic walkouts, and post viral tweets about Trump’s authoritarianism.

But what does all of it actually accomplish?

We just saw this hollow spectacle play out during Trump’s congressional address. Some Democrats held up signs—“Musk steals,” “Protect veterans”—others stormed out of the room wearing “Resist” t-shirts. It looked like a scene from 2018.

Then came Senator Elissa Slotkin’s official response. She warned that democracy was in danger, then pivoted immediately to talking about “government efficiency.” She even said she was thankful it was Reagan, not Trump, in office in the 1980s. Think about that—Democrats, in 2025, are now openly longing for Reagan.

Meanwhile, James Carville is telling Democrats to “strategically retreat.” Just let Trump fail, let the country burn, then step in later to restore the pre-Trump “normal.”

This isn’t a party that’s fighting Trump. It’s a party that’s adjusting to him.

The Real Divide: MAGA vs. the Old Order

For years, both parties agreed on the big stuff: neoliberalism, globalization, free markets, and the idea that the economy should be run by and for the private sector. Democrats might have put more guardrails in place, but the core consensus was the same.

Trump broke from this in a way no other Republican had. He isn’t just a more extreme version of Reagan—he’s tearing up the old playbook entirely. He’s using state power to reward loyal corporations, punish enemies, and reshape the economy in ways that go beyond tax cuts and deregulation.

And Democrats? They aren’t fighting back because they still believe in that old playbook.

They still think the market knows best. They still think free trade is inherently good. They still think government should be a “manager” rather than a builder. They’re waiting for Trumpism to collapse under its own weight—without realizing that the pre-Trump normal is what created this moment in the first place.

That’s why they aren’t asking:

• Is our system broken?

• Is globalization actually good?

• Was NAFTA, CAFTA, and mass privatization the right move?

• Should government shrink, or should it take a bigger role in shaping the economy?

Instead, Democrats are now openly positioning themselves to the right of Nixon and Eisenhower on economics—pushing for a smaller, leaner government while failing to even defend what public investment has built.

Why Democrats Can’t Offer a Real Alternative

Democrats and Republicans still agree on too much when it comes to economic power. They have different styles, different rhetoric, different culture war battles—but their core worldview overlaps in key ways:

🟢 Globalization & Free Trade – Both parties pushed NAFTA, CAFTA, TPP and every other corporate trade deal that gutted American industry. Democrats now acknowledge that maybe it wasn’t great for workers, but they won’t actually fight to reverse it.

🟢 Privatization & Deregulation – Since Carter, Clinton, and Obama, Democrats have been dismantling the New Deal state, outsourcing infrastructure, public utilities, and healthcare to corporate profiteers. They accept the false premise that privatization is “efficient.”

🟢 The Chicago School of Economics – Democrats worship the market as much as Republicans do. Since the 90s, they’ve embraced Milton Friedman’s vision of limited government, financialization, and corporate-led globalization.

🟢 Deference to Billionaires – They criticize Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Mark Zuckerberg, but won’t take meaningful action. They might complain about Musk’s growing influence over transportation, energy, and AI, but they won’t fight for public control over the industries that shape our future.

This is why they can’t attack Trump’s policies at their core. Their main critique is that Trump is reckless and dumb, not that his economic vision is fundamentally wrong. And that’s why they keep losing.

Democrats’ “Save Democracy” Message Doesn’t Land

For years, Democrats have played the “Trump is destroying democracy” card. And for years, it has failed to resonate.

Why?

Because most Americans already know democracy is broken.

• Gerrymandering means their votes barely count.

• Citizens United lets billionaires buy elections.

• Super PACs launder dark money into politics.

• Supreme Court justices take unlimited billionaire gifts with no consequences.

• The Justice Department spies on, harasses, and arrests citizens with impunity.

People already live in a country where their government doesn’t reflect their will. So when Democrats scream “Trump is breaking democracy”, the response is: “What democracy?”

What Real Opposition Would Look Like

If Democrats actually wanted to stop Trump, they’d be doing something radically different.

✅ A New Economic Vision – Not just defending the status quo, but rebuilding American industry, restoring worker power, and breaking up monopolies.

✅ Direct Government Action – Not just throwing subsidies at corporations, but building housing, expanding public healthcare, and investing in infrastructure.

✅ Fighting Corporate Power – Not just scolding billionaires, but taxing wealth, breaking up tech monopolies, and reclaiming public resources.

✅ Reclaiming Public Ownership – Not just managing decline, but bringing critical industries—energy, telecom, transit—back under public control.

Instead? They’re waiting.

They’re hoping people get sick of Trump.

They’re offering nothing.

The Question of Ownership

At its core, this is about a fundamental question: Whose country is this?

Are these our roads, bridges, airports, ports, power grids, and transit systems?

Or are they just assets to be sold off to the highest bidder?

Right now, Trump and Musk are answering that question in real time—and they’re handing the keys of the country to the billionaire class. And the Democratic response? Not to stop them, but to suggest a more “orderly” approach.

They won’t fight for public ownership.

They won’t fight to take back what was stolen.

They won’t fight for a government that actually builds.

So if Democrats won’t fight for that, we have to.

Where We Go From Here

This is the first of many deep dives into what’s happening in America—and why neither party has a plan to fix it.

🚨 Coming next:

• The Real Decline in Wages & Living Standards (The Years of Work Study)

• Why America Can’t Build Anything Anymore (Infrastructure Failures)

• Who’s Really Stealing From You (How Billionaires Profit Off Public Investment)

• The Healthcare Racket (Why We Pay More & Get Less)

Because this is bigger than Trump.

This is about reversing American decline.

And waiting for Trump to fail isn’t a strategy. It’s surrender.