Well, this is awkward. It turns out that not all Democrats are buying into Hakeem Jeffries’ fantasy that his party has Trump and the GOP “on the run.” Enter Senator Elissa Slotkin, the newly-elected Democrat from Michigan, who just made it abundantly clear that her party is, in fact, not in control of much of anything. In a moment of rare honesty—something that’s been in short supply from the left these days—Slotkin admitted that Democrats have been “on their heels” ever since Trump won the election. Not exactly the confident battle cry Jeffries was hoping for.
Slotkin was tapped to deliver the Democratic response to Trump’s Tuesday address to Congress, which is already a pretty thankless job. Let’s be real: nobody remembers these rebuttals unless they’re especially bad. (See: Marco Rubio and the water bottle, or Nancy Pelosi’s bizarre, slow-motion paper shuffle.) But Slotkin managed to make hers memorable—not by torching Trump, but by subtly admitting that her own party has no idea what it’s doing. When NBC’s Kristen Welker asked her point-blank who the leader of the Democratic Party was, Slotkin dodged like a politician who knows the answer but is too embarrassed to say it out loud.
“Look, I mean, people know me. I’m pretty straightforward,” Slotkin began, before dropping the bombshell: “I don’t think it’s a secret that Democrats have been on their heels since Trump won the election.” That sound you just heard? The collective gasp of every Democrat pretending that their party is still in control.
Slotkin continued, saying Democrats need to be clearer about where their leadership is focused—but notably, she couldn’t name a single person who’s actually leading them. Not Biden. Not Harris. Not Jeffries. Just some vague nod to “lots of leaders in both parties,” which is code for “we don’t have one.” And that’s the problem: Trump’s presence in the White House has sucked all the oxygen out of the Democratic strategy room. He dominates the conversation. He dictates the battlefield. And the Democrats? Well, they’re still “finding their footing,” according to Slotkin.
Democrat Elissa Slotkin refuses to name a leader of her own party and admits they’ve been on defense since Trump’s win:
“I don’t think it’s a secret that Democrats have been on their heels since Trump won the election, right? I don’t think that’s something hidden.” pic.twitter.com/fisicSMYpJ
— Bobby LaValley (@Bobby_LaVallley) March 9, 2025
Her remarks were a subtle but brutal takedown of a party that keeps telling itself everything is fine while the house is clearly on fire. She even admitted that new voices in the Democratic Party are “agitating” for change, acknowledging that there’s frustration from the fresh faces in Congress who actually want to do something. That’s probably not what the party establishment wanted to hear from one of their rising stars, but it’s the truth: while the GOP is busy pushing policies and winning elections, Democrats are stuck bickering over who’s even in charge.
This is the kind of reality check the left desperately needs but will almost certainly ignore. Instead of strategizing, they’ve spent the last several years convincing themselves that Trump is some kind of political aberration who will eventually just go away. But he hasn’t. And judging by Slotkin’s comments, even some Democrats are starting to realize that wishful thinking isn’t a game plan.
However, don’t let her words fool you. She may be just trying to get her face out front more:
Democrat Senator Elissa Slotkin says to hold your elected officials accountable and watch how they’re voting.
Hey @SenatorSlotkin, why did you not vote yesterday to protect women and girls from being beat up by men in female sports??? pic.twitter.com/qwGLiwHHyU
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) March 5, 2025
So, while Jeffries is busy spinning fairytales about Democrats having the upper hand, Slotkin just told the country what everyone already knew: the left is scrambling, disorganized, and still reeling from Trump’s victory. And if they can’t even agree on who’s leading their party, how are they supposed to lead the country?
