This is an adapted excerpt from the Nov. 15 episode of “Morning Joe.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has been quite consistent about how Democrats plan to work with their Republican counterparts during Donald Trump’s incoming administration.
As Jeffries told my colleague Ari Melber on “The Beat” on Tuesday:
As a Democratic Party, we’re going to have to make sure that we make clear, one, that we will work with the incoming administration whenever and wherever possible in order to solve problems for hardworking American taxpayers, but strongly disagree and push back against the extremism whenever necessary. That will be the foundation for how we move forward.
Come January, the Republicans will have a trifecta, controlling the presidency, the House and the Senate, but the tight margins in the lower chamber mean the majority party will likely need the help of their colleagues across the aisle to further their agenda.
When it comes to the Senate, Democrats — led by soon-to-be Minority Leader Chuck Schumer — have yet to articulate their strategy for the next administration, particularly when it comes to Trump’s picks for the Cabinet. In a short time, they’ll be tasked with holding confirmation hearings and eventually voting on the nominations.
With the flurry of announcements we’ve seen over the last few days, I understand it’s a tough time for Senate Democrats because they don’t always want to be in the posture of just being against something or someone. People send their members of Congress to Washington to get things done. However, these are not normal times.
So when we’re talking about confirmations, potentially even recess appointments, I wonder why we have yet to see, writ large, the Senate Democratic caucus articulate their strategy?
This isn’t about the Republican Party or Trump “trolling” the libs. It’s their strategy.
Now, I know what some lawmakers think privately and what some have said publicly, like Sen. Dick Durbin, the head of the Senate Judiciary Committee, who’s demanding the House Ethics Committee hand over parts of their report on Trump’s attorney general pick, Rep. Matt Gaetz. But what’s the Senate Democrats’ posture at large?
I was very disturbed to see Sen. John Fetterman’s recent comments, calling Trump’s selection of Gaetz, “god-tier level trolling” to “own the libs in perpetuity.” That’s not what we need to hear from Democrats right now. It’s just not serious.
As one of my followers on X said, this isn’t 3D chess. This isn’t about the Republican Party or Trump “trolling” the libs. It’s their strategy.
It’s time for Democrats in the Senate to get serious. The spotlight will be on them in the coming days and weeks, and they need to make sure everyone in their caucus is on the same page about how to move forward with this fight.
Allison Detzel contributed.
Symone D. Sanders Townsend is an author and a co-host of "The Weeknight."