Democrats forge strange bedfellows as party flounders in Trump's 2nd term
The Democratic Party has been without a leader since losing the White House in November, and as Democrats navigate President Donald Trump's second administration, they've developed some unlikely alliances.
From violent protests erupting in Los Angeles to the defense of controversial deportees and accused extremists, the party's fractured response to Trump's agenda has drawn scrutiny not just from the right, but from within its own ranks.
Amid the chaos unfolding in Los Angeles, Trump said those protesting and rioting against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are "not protesters, they are troublemakers and insurrectionists."
Images emerged this weekend of rioters setting cars on fire and large swaths of protesters shutting down highways as Trump federalized the National Guard for the first time since 1965. He ordered National Guardsmen and Marines to Los Angeles to protect federal immigration agents during the ongoing arrests.
Led by California Gov. Gavin Newsom, long considered a potential 2028 presidential candidate, Democrats have railed against Trump and rallied behind the anti-ICE protesters.
"This brazen abuse of power by a sitting president inflamed a combustible situation, putting our people, our officers, and the National Guard at risk," Newsom said.
And Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., said on NBC, "A lot of these peaceful protests are being generated because the president of the United States is sowing chaos."
"The vast majority of protesters and demonstrators are peaceful," Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., said on MSNBC. "They're passionate."
Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national deported from Maryland earlier this year, is set to face federal charges for human smuggling and conspiracy, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Friday.
For months, Democrats have ridiculed the Trump administration for deporting Abrego Garcia to a high-security prison in his home country, El Salvador. Returning Abrego Garcia to the U.S. became a major cause for the Democratic Party.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., was the first of several lawmakers to travel to El Salvador to visit Abrego Garcia this year, sparking social media backlash after being photographed with purported margaritas at a restaurant.
"As I have repeatedly said, this is not about the man, it's about his constitutional rights and the rights of all. The administration will now have to make its case in the court of law, as it should have all along," Van Hollen said Friday.
Abrego Garcia is accused of being a member of the violent Salvadoran gang MS-13. According to court records filed by his wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, he also allegedly physically abused her on multiple occasions.
Earlier Friday, another Maryland Democrat, Rep. Glenn Ivey, who also made a trip to El Salvador to advocate for Abrego Garcia, used his X account to promote an event to continue the "critical conversation on the fight to return those who are wrongfully imprisoned in El Salvador."
And Maryland Gov. Wes Moore celebrated the news of Abrego Garcia's return, telling Fox News Digital, "I want to thank our federal delegation for their efforts to ensure our government adheres to the rule of law."
Moore said it was "never about one person, but about the due process that governs all people in our country."
Earlier this year, few Democrats were willing to denounce vandalism on Tesla showrooms, charging stations and vehicles, even as Attorney General Pam Bondi labeled the attacks "domestic terrorism," an issue Democrats have railed against for years.
What began as protests against Elon Musk and his leadership at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) escalated into violent incidents, including shots fired at a building, destroyed dealership windows and charging stations set on fire.
In an interview with Fox News' Bret Baier on "Special Report" in March, Musk blamed Democrat leaders' anti-DOGE rhetoric for the surge in violence against his company.
Sen. John Fetterman, a Pennsylvania Democrat who has earned a reputation for bucking his party on key issues like immigration and supporting Israel, dissed Democrats for suddenly backing Musk amid the billionaire's social media spat with Trump.
"The Dems, we've been dumping all over Musk and vandalizing Teslas or whatever, and now, suddenly, we might be more back into him," Fetterman said, calling out Democrats' inconsistency.
Trump told Fox News' Laura Ingraham that Democrats lost big in November because they're backing "90% negative issues," including support for Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia University activist who was arrested and faced deportation for his alleged support of the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas.
"Backing Khalil is not a great issue, but backing Khalil is better than backing these other hundreds of people that are really serious criminals. It's probably a step better than that," Trump told Ingraham.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused Khalil of participating in "antisemitic protests and disruptive activities, which foster a hostile environment for Jewish students in the United States."
"Condoning antisemitic conduct and disruptive protests in the United States would severely undermine that significant foreign policy objective," Rubio said, defending his move to revoke Khalil's green card over his alleged affiliation with the terrorist group, Hamas.
But more than 100 Democrats sent a letter accusing the Trump administration of a "brazen attempt to use the power of the United States government to silence and punish people who do not agree with the sitting President" by arresting Khalil. The Democrats requested documentation of the "reasonable grounds" for his arrest and affirmed his "constitutional right in our democracy to express his political views."
The procedural request followed a fiery letter sent by 14 House Democrats, including "Squad" members Reps. Rashida Tlaib, Illhan Omar and Ayanna Pressley, demanding Khalil's release and labeling his detention an "illegal abduction" and violation of the First Amendment.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called the arrest "inhumane" and "unconstitutional." Tlaib, who is the only Palestinian American in Congress and was censured last year for her criticism of U.S. policy on the war in Gaza, said the Trump administration's "illegal actions set a dangerous precedent" and called to "free Mahmoud Khalil."
Earlier this year, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer faced backlash from his own party after voting for the Republican-proposed continuing resolution to avert a government shutdown.
Soon after, a Siena College poll found Schumer's favorability was down at 39% among New York state voters questioned in the poll, which was conducted April 14-16. Meanwhile, Ocasio-Cortez's favorability soared to 47% as rumors swirled about her ambitions for higher office.
Texas Democrat Rep. Jasmine Crockett said the Schumer criticism among donors was "reminiscent" of when former President Joe Biden was "taken down" before the 2024 presidential election.
And former DNC Vice Chair David Hogg sparked intraparty conflict this year when he vowed $20 million through his outside political action group, Leaders We Deserve, to primary challenge older House Democrats in safe blue districts he said are "asleep at the wheel."
After months of growing tension between DNC officials, Hogg announced he would not compete in the new vice chair election after a majority of members voted for a new contest in the wake of a procedural error in the Feb. 1 elections.
But the DNC has a different take on their response to Trump's second term.
"The American people think Donald Trump is off the rails — they oppose his deployment of troops to LA, they don't support his budget bill to give handouts to the rich, and they don't trust him to run the economy," DNC spokesperson Aida Ross told Fox News Digital.
"That's why Trump has the lowest approval ratings of any modern president at this point in his term. Democrats on the other hand are on a record-breaking streak, winning and overperforming in elections across the map this year, including in red states."
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