Video News Clips: In Their Own Words

Dem Rep Frets Party’s ‘Hysterical’ Trump ‘Resistance’ Could Be Its Undoing

Screenshot/YouTube/Sam Harris

Democratic New York Rep. Ritchie Torres expressed concern during a Monday podcast that his party’s frenzied opposition to President Donald Trump could damage its electoral prospects.

Among Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents, 45% want the Democratic Party to become “more moderate,” according to Gallup polling published in February. Torres warned on “Making Sense with Sam Harris” that Democrats’ opposition to Trump could block that necessary shift.

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“I feel like there is a recognition that we went too far left on immigration, but, you know, I feel there needs to be a fundamental restructuring within the Democratic Party — a return to a rational center,” Torres said. “But, you know, I worry that — I mean, Donald Trump is so aggressive that he is provoking a response that is — you know, there’s a divide between what I would say are two teams in the Democratic Party. There’s team restraint and team resistance, right?”

“There are those in team resistance who feel like we should react hysterically to everything that Donald Trump says or does, and then there are those who feel like we should pick and choose our battles and be strategic,” he continued. “But I worry that the momentum is on the side of hysterical, hyperbolic resistance, and the enormous expenditure of time and energy in resistance might crowd out the restructuring and moderation that needs to happen within the Democratic Party.”

Torres also said he believes “the far left” holds significantly more sway in the party under Trump than it did under former President Joe Biden.

“I feel like there’s a symbiotic relationship between the far left and the far right. The far left has no greater friend than the far right, and the far right has no greater friend than the far left,” he said. “It’s Newton’s laws of physics, right? Every action produces an equal and opposite reaction. And I feel like Donald Trump produces a reaction in the form of an emboldened far left. The far left had far less relevance under Biden than it has in the present moment.”

Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez garnered the most support  — 10% — from Democratic-aligned adults when asked in a March 16 CNN/SSRS poll which leader “best reflects the core values” of the Democratic Party. Pollster AtlasIntel also found Ocasio-Cortez ranking second among the field of potential 2028 Democratic presidential contenders, with nearly 20% choosing her as their preferred candidate, Newsweek reported on Friday.

Moreover, portraying former Vice President Kamala Harris and the Democratic Party as excessively far left on transgender issues was one of the most effective advertising campaigns in boosting support for Trump and Republican candidates down the ballot during the 2024 election, according to multiple reports.

Democratic Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett vowed on Sunday to conduct an impeachment inquiry into Trump if she becomes chair of the House Oversight Committee.

“I would absolutely at least do an inquiry. Absolutely,” she said. “I mean, I think that there’s more than enough to inquire about.