Dems stay stuck in the past. Hating Trump doesn't win elections. | Opinion

Here we are. It’s 2026. 

The midterm elections are just 10 months away. 

And Democrats seem just as clueless as always. Their constant shrieking over everything President Donald Trump does (or doesn’t do) leaves them without a plan of their own – and often makes them look like hypocrites. 

Case in point: the Trump administration’s recent bold move to capture Venezuelan dictator (“President”) Nicolás Maduro and hold him to account. 

Whether you like how Trump carried out the operation, what shouldn’t be hard to acknowledge is that Maduro terrorized his citizens and made a mockery of democracy by rigging his country’s elections. Venezuelans in the United States and around the world are celebrating what Trump did.

It wasn’t long ago that many top Democrats criticized Trump for not taking strong enough action against Maduro.

In 2020, for example, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, chastised Trump for not ending the Maduro regime: "The president brags about his Venezuela policy? Give us a break. He hasn't brought an end to the Maduro regime."

In October 2020, Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy from Connecticut quipped on social media: “The best thing that ever happened to Nicolas Maduro was Donald Trump. Trump’s Venezuela policy has been a total disaster, strengthening Maduro’s grip on power and frittering away any chance at a democratic transition.”

And then, not to be left out, then-candidate Joe Biden posted this to social media in June 2020: “Trump talks tough on Venezuela, but admires thugs and dictators like Nicolas Maduro. As President, I will stand with the Venezuelan people and for democracy.”

Now that Trump has taken decisive action, Democratic politicians seem to have forgotten how horrible they once thought Maduro was. 

Democrats face an 18% approval rate among voters. Yikes. 

Even some moderate (i.e., sane) Democrats realize this is making them look weak and silly.

Several battleground elected Democrats anonymously told Axios they disagreed with this approach, saying the party lacks “nuance” when it comes to reacting to Trump.  

“I think it looks weak,” a House Democrat told the publication. “If you don’t acknowledge when there is a win for our country, then you lose all credibility.”

Speaking of credibility, Democrats don’t have much to lose. The past year has shown record-low approval ratings, and they keep falling. 

A Quinnipiac University poll from December found 18% of voters approve of the way Democrats in Congress are doing their job (73% disapprove). Among Democrats, just 42% approve of their own party.

By contrast, the poll shows 35% of voters approve of Republicans in Congress (58% disapprove). And within the GOP, voters give their members a much higher approval rating: 77%. 

This all spells bad news for Democrats hoping to take back control of Congress. And while they are still posting higher rates (around 4%) on the 2026 generic congressional ballot, that percentage is less than half of what it was heading into the 2018 midterms during Trump’s first presidency. 

Republicans still have a lot to do to deliver on campaign promises

None of this means Republicans are off the hook. 

While the second Trump administration quickly came in and got the border and illegal immigration under control, many voters are still waiting to feel that the economy has improved.

The Quinnipiac poll found that the most urgent issues facing the country are the economy (24%) and preserving democracy (24%). Immigration is at 18%.

Trump has promised that Americans will start to feel the impacts of his administration's economic policies in the coming year, but he’s going to have to start bringing receipts. 

This surprise involvement in Venezuela may confuse Trump voters who thought the president would be putting domestic issues first. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has made a strong case for why removing Maduro is good for our country – especially when it comes to the growing involvement of adversaries like China, Russia and Iran in Venezuela. That is a legitimate concern. 

But if Trump expects the American people to get on board, when they are more concerned about affording their daily lives, he’s going to have to do a better job of explaining the urgency of the mission. 

Democrats are a mess. If Republicans lose to them in November, it will be their own fault. 

Ingrid Jacques is a columnist at USA TODAY. Contact her at [email protected] or on X: @Ingrid_Jacques