When Joe Biden gave his inaugural address back in January 2021, a clear message of “unity” was the theme. As America witnessed during the following four years, it was a promise that the president failed to enact. Now that Donald Trump is preparing to return to the White House, the so-called anti-Trump resistance is rallying its forces. Yet there is a growing possibility that, despite the hardcore opposition, Trump might just achieve unity by default.
Show Time!
Senate Democrats in committee are trying to derail President-elect Trump’s nominees to key offices – although with little apparent success so far. The drama appears to be more of a pro forma exercise than a vehement oppositional stance. That is not to say that these senators are satisfied with the picks, but rather that there is an air of inevitability over their eventual nominations.
Beyond the upper-chamber theatrics, however, there is a significant coming together of minds. In fact, three recent events perhaps point to the latest “resistance” campaign as being more go-along-to-get-along than the full-frontal assault we saw from 2017 to 2021.
And if these elements have filtered through to the public, one wonders what stances are fomenting behind closed doors.
The Fetterman Resistance
Cutting a curious figure in Congress, Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman (D) sparked speculation, sorrow, and excitement in equal measure when he went to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago retreat to meet with the incoming president. While business leaders, tech entrepreneurs, and even media faces (we’re looking at you, Joe and Mika!) all made the quasi-pilgrimage to kiss the proverbial ring, Fetterman’s jaunt smacked of something different.
Fetterman is a populist at heart, and although he has backed numerous Democratic initiatives, he represents a 50-50 state and has made efforts to cut across the partisan divide. For Donald Trump, having a senator in the opposition willing to entertain support on a policy-by-policy basis rather than defaulting to “no” is a relationship to be courted. For the senator, being able to accurately and honestly say that he doesn’t play party politics is a valuable statement should he seek an even higher office or position.
It’s a strategy that could alienate the fringes of his party, but it may be just the thing for Pennsylvanians of all stripes who want the government to function effectively.
A New York City State of Mind
As one of the bluest bastions in the nation, New York City is having a tough time. Whether it’s the massive influx of illegal migrants putting strain on the public purse or Mayor Eric Adams’ legal troubles, the Big Apple is at an inflection point.
The 2024 presidential election results in New York represented the biggest swing for Donald Trump, with a staggering five-and-a-half-point uptick over his 2020 result. Not to be outdone, the city itself saw an eight-point swing toward the Donald. Was this because Trump made inroads with voters (it’s possible) or because New Yorkers are falling out of love with a party that has overseen the destruction of America’s greatest jewel?
Either way, Mayor Adams has determined that rather than be the face of the resistance, he would cast overtures.
Adams met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago on January 17. An aide had said in anticipation of the event: “The mayor looks forward to having a productive conversation with the incoming president on how we can move our city and country forward.” This comes on the heels of a meet and greet with Trump’s incoming “border czar” Tom Homan.
Is Eric Adams determined to rescue his beloved city from fiscal oblivion, or is he angling for clemency after being indicted last September on corruption charges? Trump has hinted that he believes Adams was “treated unfairly,” but whatever the reason for the burgeoning accord, the word “leverage” is echoing around the Empire State and beyond.
But, But, But … the Border!
Third on our list of confluences is a January 16 vote in the House of Representatives that passed legislation to have illegal migrants who commit sex crimes deported from the country. Coming in at 274 to 145, the bill received wide bipartisan support.
More than 50 Democrats backed the legislation. It’s an easy sell to the voting base and shows they can work across the aisle. But what of the 145 who opposed? Justifying keeping illegal immigrants in the country after they are convicted of violent sexual crimes is an optics disaster. Of course, legislators tried to paint their negative vote as a way of “safeguarding” other illegal migrants, but it is weak sauce. After all, it is likely that many of those impacted by the violence are themselves illegal migrants.
Liberty Nation News recently reported:
“President-elect Trump has turned the immigration debate into a cause. And it’s one with which a large swath of the American public agrees. A Marquette Law School poll in 2024 found that 58% are in favor of ‘deporting immigrants who are living in the United States illegally back to their home countries.’ A Gallup poll revealed that 47% favor ‘deporting all immigrants who are living in the United States illegally back to their home country.’”
This polling suggests that there is significant support for deporting illegal aliens. What it does not show is support for only removing those who have committed violent sexual assaults. Presumably, that number is far higher. The Democratic House members who voted with their Republican colleagues must have surely seen the writing on the walls.
Et Tu, Resistance?
So what is the anti-Trump resistance to do? The voting public was warned about Trump in 2016 and elected him anyway. They were offered an alternative in 2020 and took it. Then 2024 saw an epic case of buyer’s remorse, and the people again backed Trump. His November victory was a testament to his political skill, but perhaps more so, it was a rejection of the left’s policies.
The official resistance, and indeed the Democratic Party as a whole, needs to head back to the drawing board and figure out what it is they want to offer American voters. There is little appetite for more open borders, soft-on-crime policies, and economic malpractice. And ultimately, there is a growing disdain for the left and right divide. Independent voters are the most significant force in today’s politics, and that fact alone spells doom for the idea that a “Resistance” should exist at all.